Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video on January 20th showing a captured North Korean soldier revealing that he was unaware of being sent to Russia for combat purposes against Ukraine. The soldier’s mother has no knowledge of his current whereabouts. According to Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian forces recently captured two North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region of Russia. These soldiers are currently detained by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in the capital city of Kyiv and are receiving medical treatment due to their injuries.
In the latest video released by Zelenskyy, one of the captured North Korean soldiers is seen lying on a hospital bed undergoing questioning by Ukrainian investigators, with a Korean translator assisting in the proceedings.
The North Korean soldier stated that he enlisted at the age of 17 and served in a reconnaissance unit. He traveled with around a hundred soldiers by ship to Russia, then switched to a train headed to the Kursk region. He mentioned that his mother has no knowledge of his current location and that he had no prior knowledge of his deployment to Russia for combat, nor did he know whom he would be fighting against.
The full translation of the interrogation dialogue is as follows:
Interrogator:
Have you and other North Korean military personnel received training on the use of Russian weapons and military equipment? If so, where and when did this training take place?
North Korean Soldier (via translator):
Some North Korean soldiers received training on using Russian heavy equipment, but personally, I did not receive such training.
Interrogator:
In which unit did you serve?
North Korean Soldier:
I served in a reconnaissance unit.
Interrogator:
Does your mother know where you are?
North Korean Soldier:
No, she doesn’t know.
Interrogator:
How many people were on the ship from North Korea to Russia?
North Korean Soldier:
Around a hundred people.
Interrogator:
What kind of ship was it?
North Korean Soldier:
I believe it was a Russian ferry, not a military vessel, just a cargo transport ship.
Interrogator:
Were there only people on the ship or cargo as well?
North Korean Soldier:
Only us.
Interrogator:
How many seats were there in the train carriage you boarded?
North Korean Soldier:
The people who took the train were the same ones who took the ferry. There were no other individuals, only the same group of people.
Interrogator:
Were there beds in the carriage?
North Korean Soldier:
There were six tables and beds, totaling about 100 people.
Interrogator:
Describe your experience in joining the North Korean armed forces. Specifically, when did you start serving, how did it happen, and where did you serve?
North Korean Soldier:
After completing my education, like all males, I enlisted in the military and joined the reconnaissance unit, where I have been ever since.
Interrogator:
At what age did you start serving?
North Korean Soldier:
I was 17 years old.
Interrogator:
Were you a conscript or a volunteer?
North Korean Soldier:
I was a volunteer.
Interrogator:
Would you be willing to provide truthful testimony about your involvement in hostile actions against Ukraine?
North Korean Soldier:
Firstly, as I have already mentioned, I had no prior knowledge of being here in Russia, engaged in combat, and I didn’t even know who we were fighting against.
Interrogator:
How much do you know about the losses suffered by North Korean troops in battles against Ukrainian armed forces? In which battles, with what type of weapons, and how many casualties – wounded or killed?
North Korean Soldier:
Starting from the battles on January 3rd when I was there, the casualties were already significant. Overall, it’s difficult to provide exact numbers for such large scale losses.
Interrogator:
How much do you know about the world beyond North Korea?
North Korean Soldier:
Not much.
Interrogator:
Do you know about South Korea? What do you know?
North Korean Soldier:
I only know that South Korea has fewer mountains than North Korea.
Previously reported by Epoch Times, the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, D.C. released a report on January 16th stating that the 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia for combat have suffered heavy casualties, with potential daily casualties reaching up to 92 individuals. If these soldiers continue to sustain such high casualty rates, all 12,000 soldiers may die or be injured by mid-April within 12 weeks.
Ukrainian military analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko posted on Telegram on January 18th stating that before all 12,000 soldiers perish, North Korea will inevitably deploy a second wave of troops to assist Russia.