Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv is “ready to hand over” captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war held in Russia.
The offer on Sunday came hours after South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) confirmed Ukraine’s announcement that it had captured two North Korean soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region.
Writing on X, Zelenskyy said Ukraine was willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia”.
The Ukrainian leader said there would “undoubtedly be more” North Korean soldiers captured in battle. “It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others,” he said.
Ukraine said on Saturday the two soldiers had been wounded fighting its troops in Russia’s Kursk region. It marked the first time that Kyiv has announced the capture of North Korean soldiers alive since their entry into the nearly three-year-old war last autumn.
Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 troops from Russia’s ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow’s forces.
Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their presence.
Zelenskyy said Russia and North Korea’s forces had suffered heavy losses.
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