North Korean soldiers in Russia resort to suicide amid capture of first POWs by Ukraine

North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces have begun resorting to drastic measures to evade capture, including suicide, a report by Reuters on Tuesday said. 

Following a battle this week, Ukrainian special forces reportedly scoured the snowy terrain where more than a dozen North Korean soldiers lay slain before they came upon one who was still alive. The North Korean soldier apparently pulled out a grenade and detonated it, killing himself, though without injuring the nearby Ukrainian troops.

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The news of the self-sacrificing tactics being employed came just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that, for the first time, two North Korean prisoners of war had been captured by Ukrainian forces.

Zelenskyy confirmed the capture in a Saturday address to the nation, saying “it was not easy” and claiming that North Korean and Russian forces apparently “finish off their wounded Korean” troops to prevent their capture.

Ukraine has repeatedly claimed that Russia has issued military IDs to North Korean forces in a move to conceal evidence that foreign troops have entered the war in support of Moscow, though Western nations, including the U.S., have confirmed for months Pyongyang’s deployment of forces to Russia.

As many as 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been deployed to Russia, an estimated 11,000 of whom have been stationed in Kursk to fend off Ukrainian advancement. 

Zelenskyy, as well as South Korean intelligence, have said North Korean troops in Kursk have seen some 3,000 casualties since they entered the fight in mid-November.

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In a Sunday post on X, Zelenskyy shared a video of the two captured North Korean soldiers receiving medical attention and being questioned about what they knew before they found themselves embroiled in the front-line-fight.

One of the soldiers said he did not know he was going to war against Ukraine to aid Russia, and instead believed he and his troops were being sent for training exercises. 

However, by Jan. 3, one of the soldiers found himself in an active operation and witnessed North Korean soldiers dying before he hid in a dugout for two days. He was found on Jan. 5. 

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Western intelligence has repeatedly suggested that North Korean troops are unprepared for the fight they have been thrown into, and Zelenskyy said on Sunday, “It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others.”

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelenskyy said.  “For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available.”

Reuters contributed to this report.