‘You will live,’ one North Korean captive is assured
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. Just one had been taken captive, in December, however he died of his wounds.
Then intelligence took place three troopers stranded within the so-called grey zone — a harmful no-man’s-land on the entrance line managed by neither facet. 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,” stated a Ukrainian soldier who participated within the mission and spoke to The Related Press on situation of anonymity as a result of particular forces members should not approved to disclose their names.
The group superior by means of a barren winter forest towards the coordinates the place a drone had noticed the three misplaced troopers.
“Koreans are incredibly tough,” the soldier stated. “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 beneath 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 help and their commander discreetly eliminated the grenade. The North Korean, unaware of this, continued looking out his pockets for it afterward.
The Ukrainian soldier stated 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 stated 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 stated. Regardless of his personal 12 years of service and being a father of three, the soldier felt an sudden wave of compassion.
“I looked at him, and honestly, I felt sorry for him,” he stated. “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 group 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 stated.
The group ultimately reached a Ukrainian evacuation car. They loaded the wounded North Korean into it. Solely then, noticing the blue armbands on their sleeves, did he grasp he was in Ukrainian arms. 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 stated. “I told him, ‘Everything will be fine, you will live.’”
With that, the car drove off, concluding the operation after eight tense hours.
“I do feel sorry for him, but damn, they came to our land,” the soldier stated. “Still, I’d like to meet him again someday.”
A North Korean soldier makes an attempt suicide reasonably than be captured
On the identical day, troopers from an airborne unit captured one other North Korean soldier, this time by likelihood and with out initially realizing who they have been taking prisoner.
All of it 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 stated. “They’re tough because they rely on sheer numbers”
“They follow orders,” and by no means retreat, he stated. “They’re likely being used as training material.”
Round midday, a reconnaissance drone noticed a lone soldier transferring erratically from the Russian facet towards the rear of the Ukrainian place.
“He was zigzagging, moving left and right,” Didorchuk stated. “Nobody knew who he was. The order was to intercept him, provide medical assistance if necessary, and decide what to do next.”
Didorchuk and one other paratrooper set off towards the soldier, guided by a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone. They ultimately reached an space close to destroyed Russian weaponry, the place they noticed the soldier sitting, his face hidden from view.
The paratroopers approached cautiously, asking in Ukrainian if the soldier wanted assist. No response. They tried Russian. The soldier glanced at them however remained silent. Switching to English additionally yielded no response.
Lastly, 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, possible earlier than he was separated. His actions have been sluggish and uncoordinated, probably the results of a concussion, Didorchuk stated.
“He didn’t seem to know where he was going.”
Connected 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 stated.
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 might spot them and assault to stop 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 stated.
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 car arrived, the North Korean soldier grew nervous. Out of the blue he lunged at a concrete pillar, hanging his head in opposition to it.
“I saw it as an attempt at self-destruction,” Didorchuk stated.
The troopers secured him within the car to be transferred to the authorities.
Ukraine’s SBU safety service, which interrogated the POWs, stated one had no paperwork, whereas the opposite carried a Russian navy ID within the title of a person from Tuva, a Russian area bordering Mongolia.
It stated one of many troopers claimed he was informed he was going to Russia for coaching, to not battle in opposition to Ukraine. He stated his fight unit solely obtained one week of coaching alongside Russian troops earlier than being despatched to the entrance.