North Korean soldiers in Russia commit suicide after first POWs caught by Ukraine

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, please reach out to the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). This article discusses suicide.

Recent reports by Reuters highlighted that North Korean soldiers, engaged in combat in Russia’s Kursk region against Ukrainian forces, have started utilizing extreme measures like suicide to avoid being captured.

After a recent skirmish, Ukrainian special forces meticulously searched the snowy landscape where multiple North Korean soldiers were found dead. Among them, they discovered one soldier who was still alive. This soldier, in an act of desperation, chose to detonate a grenade, taking his own life to avoid capture. Fortunately, his actions did not harm the nearby Ukrainian troops.

Ukrainian troops have installed defenses such as this barbed wire across many key routes within Sumy region to protect against a potential Russian counterassault. (Photo by Serhiy Morgunov/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

In a Sunday post on X, Zelenskyy shared a video of the two captured North Korean soldiers receiving medical attention and being questioned about what they knew before they found themselves embroiled in the front-line-fight.

One of the soldiers said he did not know he was going to war against Ukraine to aid Russia, and instead believed he and his troops were being sent for training exercises. 

However, by Jan. 3, one of the soldiers found himself in an active operation and witnessed North Korean soldiers dying before he hid in a dugout for two days. He was found on Jan. 5. 

In this unverified photo shared by the Ukrainian military, an apparent captured North Korean soldier with injuries is sitting in a bed inside a cell. (Ukraine Military handout)

Western intelligence has repeatedly suggested that North Korean troops are unprepared for the fight they have been thrown into, and Zelenskyy said on Sunday, “It’s only a matter of time before our troops manage to capture others.”

“Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organize their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia,” Zelenskyy said.  “For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available.”

Reuters contributed to this report.