Several North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine die from injuries, Zelensky says | CNN


Several North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine die from injuries, Zelensky says | CNN

Fri December 27, 2024 CNN — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that several “seriously wounded” North Korean soldiers died from their injuries after being captured by Ukrainian forces. “Our soldiers managed to take them prisoner. But they were very seriously wounded and could not be resuscitated,” Zelensky said in an address on Friday. He did not specify how many soldiers had been captured. The soldiers are believed to be the first North Koreans taken as prisoners of war by Ukraine. South Korea’s spy agency said earlier on Friday that one wounded North Korean soldier, who was captured by Ukraine, had died from his injuries, Yonhap news agency reported. CNN has reached out to South Korea’s National Intelligence Service and Ukrainian authorities for comment. North Korean troops are believed to have suffered heavy losses while fighting for Moscow in Russia’s western Kursk region, according to US and Ukrainian officials. Ukraine launched its lightning incursion into Kursk in August, forcing Russia to divert troops to counter the threat. Zelensky said that the North Korean military has been facing severe losses and accused Russia of sending them to the battlefield with “minimal protection.” “They have a lot of losses. A lot. And we see that the Russian military and North Korean supervisors are not interested in the survival of these Koreans at all,” he said. Seoul’s spy agency said Friday it received information on the capture “through real-time intelligence sharing with allies,” but did not specify any country by name. Neither Moscow or Pyongyang have officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean troops in Russia.