Ukraine was determined to seize North Korean troopers. Here’s how they lastly did it | EUROtoday

When Ukrainian troopers captured two North Korean prisoners of conflict final month, it offered the primary plain proof of Pyongyang’s direct involvement within the conflict in opposition to Ukraine.

It additionally shed some gentle on the mindset and coaching of the conscripted North Korean troopers despatched to struggle Russia’s conflict a continent away from their house.

Highly disciplined, able to die but in addition very younger and with little battlefield expertise they elicited curiosity and even some pity from the Ukrainian troopers who captured them throughout two separate missions on Jan. 9.

Their seize confirmed what Ukraine, South Korea and the U.S. had been saying for months: Thousands of North Korean troops have been combating alongside Kremlin forces within the battle for Russia’s Kursk border area — one thing Moscow had by no means confirmed.

Capturing a North Korean prisoner had lengthy been an goal for the Ukrainian particular forces, even because the North Koreans appeared prepared to kill themselves or a wounded comrade to elude seize. Only one had been taken captive, in December, however he died of his wounds.

Then intelligence happened three troopers stranded within the so-called grey zone — a harmful no-man’s-land on the entrance line managed by neither aspect. The troopers have been recognized as North Koreans as a result of they, not Russians, have been working in that sector of Kursk.

“They were likely abandoned,” mentioned a Ukrainian soldier who participated within the mission and spoke to The Associated Press on situation of anonymity as a result of particular forces members should not licensed to disclose their names.

The crew superior by way of a barren winter forest towards the coordinates the place a drone had noticed the three misplaced troopers.

“Koreans are incredibly tough,” the soldier mentioned. “We’ve seen them carrying enormous loads: one soldier as small as a child, with a heavy backpack and a machine gun, yet sprinting.”

As they closed in, the Ukrainians got here underneath enemy hearth, and two of the North Koreans have been killed within the firefight. The third soldier was wounded in his legs.

When the Ukrainians reached him, his solely remaining weapon was a single grenade. Disoriented, he didn’t resist because the group started offering first assist and their commander discreetly eliminated the grenade. The North Korean, unaware of this, continued looking out his pockets for it afterward.

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The Ukrainian soldier mentioned he tried to speak with the captured man. He first spoke in Russian, eliciting a faint response. Then he heard the soldier muttering phrases in English and switched to his personal damaged English.

He requested the soldier’s age and the way lengthy he had been serving. The soldier mentioned he was 21 years previous and had already spent 4 years within the navy.

“He said conscription starts at 16 and lasts eight years,” the Ukrainian soldier mentioned. Despite his personal 12 years of service and being a father of three, the soldier felt an surprising wave of compassion.

“I looked at him, and honestly, I felt sorry for him,” he mentioned. “He asked for water, and we gave him some. Then he asked for a cigarette, and we gave him one. He called us ‘brothers.’”

The crew bandaged the North Korean soldier’s legs and have been carrying him towards Ukrainian-controlled territory once they have been detected by a Russian reconnaissance drone, prompting a barrage of enemy hearth.

“They must have realized we’d captured him and were desperate to take him out,” the soldier mentioned.

The crew ultimately reached a Ukrainian evacuation automobile. They loaded the wounded North Korean into it. Only then, noticing the blue armbands on their sleeves, did he grasp he was in Ukrainian fingers. He started looking out frantically for his grenade once more.

“When I handed him over to the medics, he looked terrified that I wasn’t going with him,” the soldier mentioned. “I told him, ‘Everything will be fine, you will live.’”

With that, the automobile drove off, concluding the operation after eight tense hours.

“I do feel sorry for him, but damn, they came to our land,” the soldier mentioned. “Still, I’d like to meet him again someday.”

On the identical day, troopers from an airborne unit captured one other North Korean soldier, this time by probability and with out initially realizing who they have been taking prisoner.

It all started round 5 a.m., when a North Korean assault struck their place.

“The battle was intense and dragged on for hours,” recalled 27-year-old paratrooper Maksym Didorchuk. The air thundered with explosions, and the sky buzzed with drones. The North Koreans attacked relentlessly.

“Their assaults are massive, but they’re treated as expendable,” Didorchuk mentioned. “They’re powerful as a result of they depend on sheer numbers”

“They observe orders,” and never retreat, he said. “They’re likely being used as training material.”

Around noon, a reconnaissance drone spotted a lone soldier moving erratically from the Russian side toward the rear of the Ukrainian position.

“He was zigzagging, moving left and right,” Didorchuk said. “Nobody knew who he was. The order was to intercept him, provide medical assistance if necessary, and decide what to do next.”

Didorchuk and another paratrooper set off toward the soldier, guided by a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone. They eventually reached an area near destroyed Russian weaponry, where they saw the soldier sitting, his face hidden from view.

The paratroopers approached cautiously, asking in Ukrainian if the soldier needed help. No response. They tried Russian. The soldier glanced at them but remained silent. Switching to English also yielded no reaction.

Finally, as they drew nearer, they noticed his options clearly — and realized he was North Korean.

The soldier’s arm was wounded, and his jaw bandaged, seemingly earlier than he was separated. His actions have been sluggish and uncoordinated, presumably the results of a concussion, Didorchuk mentioned.

“He didn’t seem to know where he was going.”

Attached to his armor have been a grenade and a knife. The paratroopers gestured for him to take away them, however he appeared confused.

“He didn’t know if we were allies or enemies,” Didorchuk mentioned.

After repeated gestures, the soldier dropped the grenade and the knife. The paratroopers motioned for him to observe, and he complied. They maintained a cautious distance, conscious that Russian drones may spot them and assault to forestall the North Korean from being captured.

“From what I understand, they don’t want Koreans taken prisoner. They quickly evacuate their wounded and dead to erase all traces,” Didorchuk mentioned.

As they waited in a trench for transport, the North Korean requested for a cigarette, then one other, whereas the paratroopers saved a vigilant eye not solely on him however on the skies for Russian drones.

When the automobile arrived, the North Korean soldier grew nervous. Suddenly he lunged at a concrete pillar, placing his head in opposition to it.

“I saw it as an attempt at self-destruction,” Didorchuk mentioned.

The troopers secured him within the automobile to be transferred to the authorities.

Ukraine’s SBU safety service, which interrogated the POWs, mentioned one had no paperwork, whereas the opposite carried a Russian navy ID within the identify of a person from Tuva, a Russian area bordering Mongolia.

It mentioned one of many troopers claimed he was advised he was going to Russia for coaching, to not struggle in opposition to Ukraine. He mentioned his fight unit solely obtained one week of coaching alongside Russian troops earlier than being despatched to the entrance.