North Korean Soldiers Reportedly Executed Ukrainian Soldiers Attempting to Surrender

Recovered notes reveal that North Korean fighters executed Ukrainian soldiers who attempted to surrender.

The Wall Street Journal reported this on January 19, citing a document published by the Korea Human Rights Foundation. The foundation has been collaborating with Ukraine’s special forces to analyze materials obtained from North Korean troops.

“Our combatants, who saw other comrades fall, ruthlessly killed those attempting to surrender,” state documents recovered from a North Korean army officer killed in combat by Ukrainian forces.

Russia has been secretive about deploying North Korean troops in its war against Ukraine. On January 5, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared new details about the North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia, revealing that their faces are being burned to prevent them from being recognized. Therefore, Russian forces are deliberately inflicting facial burns on these soldiers to mask their identity.

Until recently, thousands of North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia had been killed or injured, but not captured.

According to the newspaper, Ukraine’s 8th Special Operations Forces Regiment faced the challenge of surrounding the North Koreans and capturing them while ensuring their own survival.

Deployed in infantry assaults with little to no support from armored vehicles or artillery, North Korean troops have been captured on video by Ukrainian drones. Ukrainian soldiers have noted their determination, pushing forward even as their comrades fall beside them.

Additionally, North Korean troops stationed in Russia’s Kursk region have reportedly been ordered to commit suicide rather than risk being captured by Ukraine’s Armed Forces. The WSJ reported that Ukrainian soldiers said that often North Korean soldiers carried grenades to kill themselves or, in rare cases, used makeshift blades to sever their arteries.

As of January 9, Zelenskyy revealed that North Korea has already lost 4,000 troops—killed or wounded—in the ongoing war against Ukraine.