Zelenskyy shares footage of North Korean POWs being interrogated and proposes prisoner swap – video

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has shared the first video of the interrogation of the North Korean soldiers captured in Russia’s Kursk Oblast and stated that Ukraine is prepared to return them to their home country as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia.
Source: Zelenskyy on Facebook
Quote: "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 Korea. Putin started three years ago with ultimatums to NATO and attempts to rewrite history, but now he cannot manage without military support from Pyongyang.
Ukraine is ready to hand over Kim Jong Un’s soldiers to him if he can organise their exchange for our warriors who are being held captive in Russia.
For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available. In particular, those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity."
Details: One of the prisoners in the video shakes his head when asked whether he realised he was fighting against Ukraine. According to the interpreter, the prisoner had been told he was merely going for training.
The prisoner originally expressed a desire to remain in Ukraine, but later said he would "do as he is ordered". The interpreter explained: "If he has to return, he will. If given the chance, he will stay here."
The other North Korean prisoner nodded when he was asked whether he wanted to return to North Korea.
Update: Later, in his address, Zelenskyy said one of the prisoners had expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine, while the other wanted to return to North Korea.
Quote: "If Kim Jong Un even remembers these citizens of his and can arrange an exchange for our soldiers held in Russia, we are ready to hand over these soldiers. There will undoubtedly be other prisoners from North Korea."
Background:
- On 11 January, President Zelenskyy and the Security Service of Ukraine reported that Ukrainian soldiers had captured two North Korean servicemen in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
- Special Operations Forces (SOF) released footage of the capture of one of the North Korean soldiers and his evacuation from Russia. The other one was shown in a video posted by Ukraine’s Air Assault Forces.
- Russian media reported that a forged military ID found on one of the North Korean POWs was issued in the name of a real person, a resident of Russia's Tuva Republic.
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