Zelensky ready to exchange North Korean soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners of war
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Kyiv claims to have captured two North Koreans fighting in Russia’s Kursk region. Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was ready to return the North Korean soldiers that his forces allegedly captured last week if Kim Jong Un could facilitate their exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Mr Zelensky said on Sunday. “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.”.
The Ukrainian leader claimed on Saturday that his troops had captured two North Korean soldiers from Russia’s Kursk region. He posted a short video showing one of them lying in a bed with bandaged hands and the other sitting with a bandage around his jaw.
One of them purportedly said during interrogation he had been told he was on a training exercise and did not know he was fighting Ukrainian troops. The soldier claimed to have hid in a shelter during fighting before being found a few days later. They had suffered significant losses and food and water shortages for several days before their capture, he purportedly said.
“One of them expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, the other to return to Korea,” Mr Zelensky said in a televised statement about the captured soldiers. He said any captured North Koreans “who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean language will be given that opportunity”.
