Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Friday that “several” wounded North Korean soldiers had died after being captured by Ukrainian forces, accusing Russia of sending them into battle with “minimal protection.”
Ukraine, along with its Western allies, has alleged that North Korea has deployed thousands of soldiers to bolster Russia’s military, marking a significant escalation in the conflict that began with Moscow’s invasion in 2022.
“In recent reports, our soldiers successfully captured several North Korean troops. However, they were severely injured and could not be saved,” Zelensky stated in an evening address shared on social media.
Earlier on Friday, South Korea’s intelligence agency confirmed that a North Korean soldier, captured while fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine, succumbed to his injuries.
Zelensky refrained from disclosing the exact number of North Korean soldiers who had died after being taken prisoner. However, he previously reported that nearly 3,000 North Korean troops had been “killed or wounded” while supporting Russian forces, particularly in the western Kursk border region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August.
South Korea’s intelligence services had earlier estimated that around 1,000 North Korean soldiers had been killed or wounded. They attributed the high casualty rate to their lack of familiarity with the battlefield and an inability to counter drone strikes effectively.
The White House echoed South Korea’s assessment on Friday, confirming that Pyongyang’s soldiers were being deployed into dangerous and futile assaults, with commanders treating them as “expendable.”
“We’ve received reports that some North Korean soldiers have chosen to take their own lives rather than face capture by Ukrainian forces, likely fearing reprisals against their families back home if they are captured,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby informed reporters.
