Ukrainian Forces Capture North Korean Soldier, Russian APCs and Documents in Kursk Oblast

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have probably captured the first North Korean soldier who fought on the side of the Russian army.

His photo was shared on the closed Telegram channel t.me/the_warshal18, which has already been republished by other channels and feeds.

He was captured by the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

It is stated that a group of SOF soldiers operated in the Kursk sector:

The Special Forces group conducted an operation to destroy the enemy in the Kursk sector.
In addition to the successful completion of the task, there were also trophies:
prisoners, including a mercenary from [North] Korea, and an APC equipped with anti-HEAT protection.

Screenshot of the original post from the Tiskoarhyvy Telegram group:

The photo shows the prisoner’s serious condition and traces of injury. Therefore, it is not known whether they were able to evacuate him, stabilize his condition in time and subsequently take him to a medical facility.

The SOF also captured a Russian BTR-82 armored personnel carrier, weapons, documents, etc. as a trophy.

This is probably the first North Korean soldier to be captured since it became known on December 14, 2024, that DPRK soldiers had engaged in combat with units of the Defense Forces in the Kursk oblast. On the same day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the information about the involvement of North Korean soldiers in the battles in the Kursk oblast.

On December 13, 2024, according to Ukrainian intelligence, North Korean military personnel were put on high alert with orders to await further instructions.

Later, this was confirmed by photos and videos taken by Ukrainian soldiers, mostly due Ukrainian drones.

The Ukrainian Defense Forces also got hold of documents issued by the Russians to the North Koreans. Namely, Russian military cards, randomly filled out, with the names and surnames of people allegedly born in Russia.