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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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North Korean troops deployed to Russia to fight alongside Vladimir Putin's forces in the war against Ukraine are taking their own lives to avoid capture, officials have said.
Newsweek contacted the Kremlin, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry and the North Korean Embassy in London for comment by email on Monday.
Why It Matters
Ukraine and South Korea said in December that Pyongyang had deployed an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 servicemen to southern Russia to fight Ukrainian forces. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang has confirmed the deployment of troops from North Korea to fight Ukrainian forces.
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President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Saturday that two had been captured alive. The low number of North Korea troops taken captive appears to highlight a stark unwillingness by these fighters to surrender.
What To Know
Citing South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS), lawmaker Lee Seong Kweun said North Korean military personnel have been urged to take their own lives in order to prevent being taken by Ukraine's military.
The NIS said one soldier attempted to blow himself with a grenade to avoid being captured, yelling "General Kim Jong Un," but was fatally shot before he managed to take his own life.
On Tuesday, Japanese news agency Kyodo News cited Ukrainian government and military officials as saying that the troops are detonating grenades near their faces to avoid capture and to prevent being identified.
"The aim is to conceal North Korea's participation in the war," a government official said. Another described the practice as a "form of brainwashing."
On Monday, Ukraine's Special Operations Forces (SOF) published battlefield footage which purports to show Ukrainian troops killing 17 North Korean soldiers. One blew himself up with a grenade, the special operations forces said.
The North Korean soldiers, some of whom are thought to belong to Pyongyang's special forces, were sent by Kremlin ally Kim Jong Un, arrived in the country in October 2024, and were assessed to have entered combat in early December.
On Monday, South Korean intelligence said about 300 of these troops have been killed, and a further 2,700 have been injured.
What People Are Saying
Special Operations Forces of Ukraine on Monday on X (formerly Twitter): "Watch how Ukraine's SOF repel North Korean troops assault in Russia's Kursk region. The special forces eliminated 17 DPRK soldiers. One North Korean soldier had set an unsuccessful trap for the rangers of the 6th Regiment and blew himself up with a grenade."
President Volodymyr Zelensky on X, formerly Twitter: "In addition to the first captured soldiers from North Korea, there will undoubtedly be more. It's only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others. There should be no doubt left in the world that the Russian army is dependent on military assistance from North Korea."
What Happens Next?
Zelensky said Kyiv was willing to hand the two North Korean soldiers over in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war in Russia.
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