The capture of two North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian forces marks a significant moment in Russia’s war against Ukraine. Their testimonies have been crucial in confirming details about these troops and Pyongyang that were previously only assumptions.

Advertisment

Russia's effort to hide North Korean soldiers

Russia has gone to great lengths to disguise the presence of 12,000 North Korean troops sent by North Korea to support its war on Ukraine. To maintain secrecy, the North Koreans were given Russian uniforms, weapons, and falsified military documents.

Also read: People's March LIVE updates: Protesters arrive in Washington DC

Advertisment

They were even assigned Russian names, and most of them were 'born' in the Siberian republic of Tuva, where the population has Asian features. These troops were integrated into Russian marine and assault corps units and sent to the frontlines.

Pretence falls apart

This deception unravelled last week when Ukrainian forces captured two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield. Both were injured and later transported to Kyiv, where Ukraine’s intelligence agency, the SBU, interrogated them with assistance from South Korea’s national intelligence service.

Advertisment

Also read: Rape-murder, protests and arrest: Here's how victim of RG Kar Medical College finally got justice

One of the captured soldiers, identified as 25-year-old Sergeant Lee Jong Nam from Pyongyang, joined the North Korean army in 2016. He served in a sniper reconnaissance platoon within the fifth battalion of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). His first combat assignment in Ukraine took place on 8 January, during which he sustained a jaw injury.

Footage of the second soldier, whose identity remains unknown, was shared by President Volodymyr Zelensky. From his hospital bed, the soldier said that he was lying in the open for several days after being wounded in the leg. He said that the name on his Russian military ID was fabricated, saying,I don’t remember it. It wasn’t mine.He also thought he was participating in a training exercise.

Raised 'in an information vacuum'

Zelensky criticised Moscow for exploiting these soldiers, describing them as being raised inan information vacuumand used by Russia solely to prolong and escalate its war against Ukraine. The timing of their capture is significant, as Kyiv faces growing challenges, including Russia’s advances in the east and uncertainty over potential changes in US foreign policy.

Also read: From Zakaria Zubeidi to Ahmed Barghouti: 5 Prominent names among 737 Palestinian prisoners to be freed by Israel

Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, alleges that the Kremlin is supplying Kim Jong Un’s regime with torpedoes and drone technology. North Korea is also receiving Russian military intelligence, including satellite data and air-to-air missile systems.

Ukraine's military thinks the conflict serves as a training ground for North Korean soldiers. According to Major General Vadym Skybytskyi, HUR’s deputy chief, told The Guardian that the North Korean troops are gaining valuable experience in modern warfare. He said they are learning from earlier mistakes by trial and error. 

Mistakes as advancing in large groups across open fields are being corrected, and newer tactics are being adopted. Those who survive are expected to return to North Korea and share their combat knowledge as trainers.

"To begin with, they advanced in large groups across snowy fields. The next lot won’t do that. They are learning new tactics and how to fight in a drone environment," he said.

Motivated and determined

Speaking to The Guardian, Skybytskyi described the North Koreans as ideologically motivated and determined. Despite significant casualties, their morale remains high. Some soldiers have even resorted to dying by suicide to avoid capture. A recovered iPad belonging to a deceased North Korean soldier contained a huge amount of propaganda.My colleague reviewed it. After two hours, he said,North Korea is the best country in the world,’ Skybytskyi said.

Also read: Meet Sean Curran, Trump's pick for Secret Service chief who shielded him in rally attack?

While some Ukrainian soldiers dismiss the North Koreans as ineffective fighters sent on suicide missions, others acknowledge their skills. One Ukrainian fighter, Ovcharenko, told The Guardian that North Koreans are often well-organised and competent shooters.The Russians hide when they see drones. The North Koreans try to shoot them down. They understand combined warfare with infantry, planes, and tanks,he said.

(With inputs from agencies)