Ukraine says 2 North Korean soldiers captured
Published January 11, 2025last updated January 12, 2025
What you need to know
Ukraine is questioning and providing medical treatment to two North Koreans it captured as part of its offensive into Russia's border region of Kursk, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Russia said it took the village of Shevchenko, which lies in the Donetsk region in Ukraine's eastern Donbass.
Both Russia and Ukraine reported dozens of drone attacks overnight.
Here are the latest developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine on January 11, 2024:
South Korea confirms Ukraine captured 2 North Korean soldiers
South Korean intelligence on Sunday confirmed that Ukraine captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in Russia earlier this week.
"The NIS, through real-time cooperation with Ukraine's intelligence agency (SBU) has identified battlefield situations, including the capture of North Korean soldiers, and confirmed that the Ukrainian military captured two North Korean soldiers on January 9 in the Kursk battlefield in Russia," the National Intelligence Service (NIS) said in a statement cited by news agency AFP on Sunday.
Ukraine had said on Saturday that it was questioning two North Korean soldiers who were captured while fighting for Moscow in Russia's Kursk, without providing direct evidence about the soldiers' nationalities.
There has been no immediate statement from Russia and North Korea.
Ukraine, the United States and South Korea have accused Pyongyang of sending over 10,000 troops to help its ally Moscow fight Kyiv.
The NIS said one of the captured men told interrogators that he received military training from Russian forces after arriving in the country in November.
"He initially believed he was being sent for training, realizing upon arrival in Russia that he had been deployed," the intelligence service said.
The SBU also said that one of the men claimed he was sent to Russia not to fight but for training.
US to expand sanctions on Russian energy industry — Biden
US President Joe Biden's administration announced that it would impose additional sanctions against Russia's energy sector.
Biden told reporters he believed Russia was in a difficult position in the war.
"Putin is in tough shape right now, and I think it's really important that he not have any breathing room to continue to do the god-awful things he continued to do," Biden said.
Biden is due to be replaced by President-elect Donald Trump, whose inauguration is scheduled for January 20.
On Thursday, Trump said that he planned to meet with Putin in order to "get [the war in Ukraine] over with."
Russia says Ukraine launched dozens of drones at several regions
Ukraine launched drone attacks on several regions of Russia overnight, Russian authorities said.
The head of the Tambov region, Evgeny Pervyshov, said that two residential houses in the region were hit and at least three were injured.
He said that the buildings were only lightly damaged and that those injured were being treated for cuts from shards of broken windows.
Russia's Defense Ministry said in a separate statement that it had downed 85 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Russian aviation monitor Rosaviatsia said airports in the cities of Kazan, Kizhnekamsk and Ulyanovsk in the Volga region had temporarily suspended flights.
On Friday, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a missile strike on a supermarket in the Russian-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Donetsk has been controlled by pro-Russian forces since 2014.
Ukraine interrogating two captured North Korean soldiers — Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces had captured two wounded North Korean soldiers in the Russian border region of Kursk.
"Our soldiers captured North Korean soldiers in the Kursk region. These are two soldiers who, although wounded, survived and were brought to Kyiv, and are talking to SBU investigators," Zelenskyy said in a social media post, referring to the Ukrainian intelligence service (SBU).
"As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance," he said.
Zelenskyy said Ukrainian authorities would provide media with access to the prisoners of war.
In a post on the platform X, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said that the two prisoners of war were "regular [North Korean] troops, not mercenaries."
North Korea has deployed thousands of troops to assist Moscow in the war with Ukraine. Last month, South Korea said that there had been 1,000 North Korean casualties in the war.
Ukraine launched an incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August 2024.
Russia takes Donetsk village — defense ministry
Russia's Defense Ministry said that its forces had captured the village of Shevchenko in Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region.
It said that Russia had launched strikes on Ukraine's military airfield and energy infrastructure that services the Ukrainian military.
Russian forces have made several advances in the Donetsk region in recent months. The region has seen some of the fiercest fighting in the war.
Russia launches 74 drones at Ukraine — Ukrainian air force
Russia launched dozens of drones at Ukraine overnight, the Ukrainian air force said.
It said that it had downed 47 out of the 74 Russian drones, while 27 disappeared from radars without reaching their targets.
The Ukrainian air force said that buildings and vehicles had been damaged by debris from intercepted drones. There were no reports of casualties from the barrage.
sdi/lo (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)