North Korea sent more than 11,000 of its soldiers to Russia to participate in the war against Ukraine. According to official data of the South Korean bodies, although mainly North Korean troops are used to support Russia at the front, numerous losses among these soldiers have proven to be unexpected for their commanders.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky reported the seizure of two North Korean military in the Kursk region of Russia. They were captured during combat missions. During the interrogation, one of the prisoners noted that he did not expect to go to the war. He thought he was sent only to training with the Russian military. This testifies to the possible ambiguity in the tasks that are set before North Korean soldiers in Russia.
The interrogation of the prisoners was conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine with the participation of the National Intelligence Service of South Korea. Special translators were involved in the North Korean soldiers, as captives do not speak Ukrainian, Russian or English.
One of the soldiers, according to sources, had a Russian military ticket that belonged to another person registered in Russia. This document was obtained last fall during the joint exercises of the Russian and North Korean military. It turned out that a man named Antonin Aranin from the Republic of Tiva, who was born in 1998, was found in the passport.
One of the prisoners also shared that in the Kursk region there were significant losses among the North Korean military. Although the exact figures are not provided, according to South Korean sources, the losses among the North Korean soldiers are more than 100 dead and about 1000 wounded.
Despite this, the state of prisoners is not critical, and the National Intelligence Service of South Korea continues to cooperate with Ukrainian scouts to learn more about North Korea's participation in the war on the side of Russia.
