I will send the troops back to North Korea, but… the one big thing Zelensky asked Kim Jong, will they be able to deliver?

Kyiv: Ukrainian army has captured two North Korean soldiers alive. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he is ready to send back these two prisoners. However, they have made a major demand from Russia in exchange for the return of these prisoners, which Russia is unlikely to accept. Zelensky has demanded the return of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian custody in exchange for two North Korean soldiers. “Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s troops,” Zelensky said in a post on X. But only if he can manage to bring back our soldiers who are in Russian captivity. On Sunday, Zelensky shared a video of the interrogation of two North Korean soldiers.

On Saturday, Ukraine announced that it had captured two North Korean soldiers. This is the first time that Kiev has captured alive North Korean soldiers fighting on Russia’s side in this war. Both Russia and North Korea have not acknowledged their presence in Putin’s military. In the video shared by Zelensky, the two soldiers are seen injured. A soldier was hit in the jaw. There, a soldier’s hand was bandaged.

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… pic.twitter.com/4RyCfUoHoC

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Volodymyr Zelensky (@ZelenskyyUa) January 12, 2025

North Korea fooled the soldiers
In the video, a soldier lying down claims he didn’t know he was fighting a war against Ukraine. He says his commanders described it as a military exercise. According to a CNN report, the video asks the soldiers if they want to return to North Korea. A soldier nods in agreement. While the other soldier, when asked repeatedly, says he wants to stay in Ukraine. But later he adds that he will do whatever he is ordered to do. In his daily address on Sunday, Zelensky claimed that a soldier expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine.

North Korean soldiers in Russia

According to Ukrainian and Western estimates, there are approximately 11,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region. Ukraine estimates that more than 3,000 North Korean soldiers have been killed or wounded. Zelensky used the capture of North Korean soldiers to target Russia. Zelensky said in a tweet that the world should no longer be in doubt that Russia is now dependent on the help of North Korea. There has been an exchange of hostages between Russia and Ukraine before.