In a significant development in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia, Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has captured two North Korean soldiers. The SBU stated that these men were experienced army personnel. One of the captives claimed he was dispatched to Russia for training rather than combat. The Ukrainian authorities are currently interrogating the two men in Kyiv.
Ukraine's general staff reported that its forces successfully repelled 46 out of 56 Russian attacks around a dozen towns in the Pokrovsk region. In response, Russia's defense ministry stated it intercepted and destroyed 85 Ukrainian drones overnight across several regions. In contrast, Ukraine's air force downed 47 out of 74 drones launched by Russia overnight.
The SBU released a video showing the two North Korean soldiers, with one man having bandaged hands and the other a bandaged jaw. The video also displayed their identification cards, including one for a 26-year-old man from Russia's Tyva region. Another man revealed his birth year as 1999 and disclosed that he joined the army in 2016, serving as a scout sniper.
"Russians and other North Korean soldiers finish off their wounded" to cover up "evidence of the participation of another state, North Korea, in the war."
- Volodymyr Zelensyy
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukraine's special forces captured the soldiers. However, Ukraine's military did not mention any activities regarding the village of Shevchenko in its latest frontline report. Meanwhile, Russia claimed that its army had gained control over a village near the eastern Ukrainian logistical hub of Pokrovsk.
The governor of the Donetsk region reported that Russian shelling on a village north of Pokrovsk resulted in one civilian death and four injuries. In retaliation, Ukraine launched drone attacks targeting multiple regions in Russia, striking two houses in the Tambov region and injuring several individuals.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Andriy Sybiga, emphasized the necessity for increased pressure on the regimes in Moscow and Pyongyang. This comes amid allegations of North Korea’s involvement in the conflict, a claim highlighted by President Zelenskyy's remarks.