Volodymyr Zelenskyy claims Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers in Kursk region of Russia.

 Extract from ABC News

By Esther Linder with wires

• Topic:Prisoners of War

5 hours ago

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukrainian soldiers have captured two North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia. (Reuters: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout)

In short:

The Ukrainian president has claimed that two North Korean soldiers have been captured by Ukraine's military in Russia's Kursk region.

An estimated 11,000 North Korean troops have deployed to Kursk to aid the Russian military in its war against Ukraine.

What's next?

Mr Zelenskyy said the soldiers were being medically cared for and media would be given access to them to "know the truth about what is happening". 

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Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed that two North Korean soldiers have been taken prisoner for the first time by Ukraine's military in Russia's Kursk region.

What we know about North Korean troops in Ukraine

Photo shows Two men in suits smiling, while holding glasses of wine and looking at each other

North Korean soldiers are not only on Russian soil, but have been deployed in Russia's Kursk region on the Ukrainian border. What exactly does this mean? 

"Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine," the Ukrainian president wrote on X.

"This was not an easy task: Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded to erase any evidence of North Korea's involvement in the war against Ukraine."

Mr Zelensky had said in late December that Ukraine had captured several seriously wounded North Korean soldiers who later died.

North Korean soldiers were first deployed to Russia in October to support Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, with around 11,000 troops present, according to Ukrainian and Western analysts.

The Ukrainian president said the prisoners were receiving medical care in lines with the rules of warfare governed by the Geneva Conventions. 

He added that journalists would be given access to the prisoners by Ukraine's security forces.

"The world needs to know the truth about what is happening," he said.

Mr Zelenskyy included photos of two wounded men with Asian features in bunk beds, but did not provide evidence that they were North Korean soldiers.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga wrote on X that the "first North Korean prisoners of war are now in Kyiv", calling them "regular DPRK troops, not mercenaries".

"We need maximum pressure against regimes in Moscow and Pyongyang," he said. 

In December, Australian Oscar Jenkins was confirmed to be a prisoner of war held by Russia after joining the Ukrainian military as a volunteer to combat Russia's invasion of the country in February 2022. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at the time that the Australian government was making representations to Russia to attempt to secure Mr Jenkins's release. 

ABC/AFP