A clip shared on X shows a Ukrainian drone apparently closing in on a North Korean soldier. (Image: NC)
A hapless soldier in Ukraine blew himself up with a grenade during a failed attempt to lure Ukrainian troops into a trap, Kyiv has claimed.
Meanwhile, ‘s military has released a handwritten note suggesting is using personnel supplied by Pyongyang as “bait” as part of a strategy to destroy drones.
The Hermit State is understood to have deployed approximately 10,000 to 12,000 troops to support Russian forces in , especially in the besieged Kursk border region.
They are primarily engaged in frontline combat roles, often operating alongside Russian units and, in some instances, conducting independent operations.
Their involvement has been marked by significant casualties, with estimates of around 300 dead and 2,700 injured, in a clear indication that they are being used in attacks commonly referred to as “meat assaults”.
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The crude drawing appears to show North Korean soldiers offering themselves as bait. (Image: NC)
A Telegram post from the Ukrainian Government’s official account referred to once such attack overnight.
Soldiers of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of had repelled an assault by North Korean troops “which lasted from morning until night in Kurshchyna”, the message explained.
It added: “During this time, rangers of the 6th SSO regiment destroyed 17 North Korean soldiers, and one of them blew himself up with a grenade.”
The post continued: “In the morning, an SSO clearing group moved forward, which came across one surviving North Korean soldier. He set an unsuccessful trap for the rangers of the 6th regiment.
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Volodymyr Zelensky shared pictures he said showed captured North Korean soldiers. (Image: Volodymyr Zelensky)
“The North Korean fighter tried to mislead the SSO soldiers and blow himself up with them on a grenade.
“When the SSO rangers approached him, he blew himself up. The SSO soldiers noticed the danger in time and quickly left the affected area. No one was injured.”
Separately, the diary of a dead North Korean soldier, published by ’s Special Operations Forces, expressed love for and a “longing” to return to his homeland – as well as revealing details of one particularly shocking tactic.
The man included a crude stickman drawing showing a figure attempting to get the attention of a drone as comrades prepare to shoot it down.
He writes: “When the bait stands still, the drone will stop and it will be shot down.”
Further evidence has been supplied in the form of a clip shared by the Wall Street Journal, which appears to show a Ukrainian drone hurtling towards a terrified North Korean soldier.
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…
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa)
South Korea’s spy agency yesterday said two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting alongside Russian forces in ’s Kursk border region have not expressed a desire to seek asylum in South Korea.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on the social media platform X that he’s willing to hand over the soldiers to North Korea if the country’s authoritarian leader, Kim Jong Un, arranges for an exchange with Ukrainian prisoners of war in .
Mr Zelensky added that “there may be other options” for North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return home, and a video released by his government indicated that at least one of the captured soldiers expressed a desire to remain in .
In a closed-door briefing at South Korea’s National Assembly, the National Intelligence Service confirmed its participation in the questioning of the North Korean soldiers by Ukrainian authorities.
The agency said the soldiers are yet to express a request to resettle in the south.