Soldiers' arrest 'indisputable evidence' of North Korean involvement in Ukraine war

A spokesperson for the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has said the arrest of two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region is "indisputable evidence" of Pyongyang's involvement in the war.

The two unnamed men were captured by Ukrainian forces and have since reportedly been sent to Kyiv for questioning.

"They are held in proper conditions that meet the requirements of international law. The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean interpreters in cooperation with South Korean NIS. At the time of his capture, one of the foreigners had a Russian military ID card issued in the name of another person registered in the Republic of Tuva," said Artem Dekhtyarenko.

He also said that both men were receiving "full medical care".

In his nightly video address, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the two North Koreans are being questioned by investigators with the help of Korean translators.

Zelenskyy said their capture was "not easy", claiming that Russian and North Korean forces have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers on the battlefield, including by killing wounded comrades to avoid their capture and interrogation by Kyiv.

"Both are alive and have already been brought to Kyiv. Now these two are…talking to SSU investigators," he said.

Zelenskyy went on to say their presence is proof of Russia, "doing everything to prolong and escalate the war."

There has been no comment from Pyongyang about the capture of the two soldiers but North Korea hasn’t publicly confirmed it has sent troops to support Russia’s war effort.

A senior Ukrainian military official said last month that around 200 North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces