Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers captured North Korean soldiers for Ukrainians held by Russia
Ukraine has been interrogating two North Korean soldiers after seizing the pair in Russia's Kursk region - the first time it has announced the capture of North Korean troops alive since their entry into the war last autumn.
Monday 13 January 2025 10:58, UK
Ukraine's president is offering a prisoner swap with North Korean soldiers it has captured, in exchange for Ukrainians held by Russia.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made a direct appeal to leader Kim Jong Un after seizing two North Koreans in Russia's Kursk region.
"In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It's only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others," he said in a video posted on X.
It is the first time Ukraine has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers since their entry into the nearly three-year-old war last autumn.
"Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un's soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia," Mr Zelenskyy added.
"One of them [soldiers] expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, the other to return to Korea," said Mr Zelenskyy, adding that for North Korean soldiers who did not wish to return home, there may be other options available.
South Korea's spy agency confirmed that the two soldiers have not expressed interest in seeking asylum in the democratic country.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 troops from Russia's ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow's forces, although Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
South Korea's spy agency believes that about 300 North Korean soldiers have died and another 2,700 have been injured while fighting against Ukrainian forces, in North Korea's first involvement in large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War.
The agency assessed that the North Koreans are struggling to adapt to drones and other elements of modern warfare.
But there are concerns in Seoul that North Korea's involvement in the Ukraine war poses a threat, as North Korean forces may gain crucial combat experience and Russia may provide technology transfers that could enhance Kim Jong Un's nuclear-armed forces.
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Mr Zelenskyy also posted a short video showing the interrogation of two men, presented as North Korean soldiers.
One of them is lying on a bed with bandaged hands, the other is sitting with a bandage on his jaw.
One of the men said through an interpreter that he did not know he was fighting against Ukraine and had been told he was on a training exercise. He said he hid in a shelter during the offensive and was found a couple of days later.
He said that if he was ordered to return to North Korea, he would, but he was ready to stay in Ukraine if given the chance.
Sky News has not been able to verify the video.