Editor's note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names and callsigns only.
It was a month-long mission with one primary goal — capturing a North Korean soldier alive.
One of the biggest obstacles facing the Ukrainian forces tasked with the objective while operating in Russia’s Kursk Oblast was overcoming the fanatical, suicidal zeal instilled in Pyongyang's troops.
"(One North Korean soldier) was about to be taken prisoner, but with the words ‘Glory to the Party' or 'Glory to Kim Jong-un,' he blew himself up with a grenade," a Ukraine's Special Operations Forces soldier with the callsign "Borsuk" told the Kyiv Independent.
The mission eventually succeeded earlier this month with the capture of one North Korean soldier by Special Operations Forces and another one by Ukraine’s Airborne Forces. President Volodymyr Zelensky described their capture as "irrefutable evidence" of Pyongyang's involvement in the Kremlin's full-scale war.
According to Ukraine, North Korea has deployed around 12,000 soldiers in Kursk Oblast, where Kyiv launched a surprise cross-border incursion in August 2024.
Neither Russia nor North Korea have officially acknowledged the deployment, which is the latest move in Moscow's ever-increasing — and humiliating — reliance on Pyongyang to bolster its military, following long-running shipments of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.
"Essentially, this was about conveying to the international community that third countries are indeed involved in this war. And that Russia is not as invincible as they claim," Borsuk said.
The Kyiv Independent got exclusive footage of the mission, as well as interviewed Borsuk and his fellow soldier "Bernard," who described how they carried out their task, the moment of capture, and why North Korean troops are far more formidable than their Russian counterparts.
'He still had a grenade with him'
To prove North Korea's involvement definitively, capturing one of their soldiers alive was the only option.
While Borsuk and Bernard could not disclose details of their preparation, timing, location, or the number of personnel involved in the mission, they revealed they had been monitoring a specific area in Kursk Oblast for an extended period of time, waiting for the perfect opportunity to act.
The enemy group operating in the area under surveillance consisted entirely of North Koreans, according to the Ukrainian soldiers.
"We approached the target where we were supposed to operate. We had been observing it and knew their base positions were there," Bernard said.
"We started moving, and contact was made."
In the ensuing firefight, the enemy group took casualties and began to retreat. One wounded North Korean soldier was left behind.
"Our guys kept him under constant fire control to ensure he didn't move or make any sudden moves," says Borsuk.
After approaching his position, disarming him was a delicate and potentially fatal maneuver.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) has previously reported that some North Korean soldiers have been forced to commit suicide to avoid capture by Ukrainian forces.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also earlier echoed these claims, adding that captured North Korean troops fear severe retaliation against their families if they surrender.
"He still had a grenade with him, in addition to his weapon, and it was very difficult to take it away," Borsuk says, describing the moment caught on headcam footage when they approached the soldier.
Eventually, the North Korean soldier allowed them to get close, and they were able to provide him with first aid.
Borsuk recalls their prisoner behaving "calmly," and assessed he was in a stable condition.
"He was able to speak. The only issue he had was with his leg; everything else was normal," he says.
According to Bernard, Russian artillery started firing not long after they reached the North Korean soldier, likely realizing they were trying to take him as a prisoner.
"(Russia's) desire to hide the presence of North Korean units was very great," Borsuk says.
"As (the hits) got closer and closer, he also realized what was happening… It was clear from his eyes that he was a human; after all, he wanted to live," Bernard says.
"We looked at him. Well, he was just a young guy… There were no thoughts, no desire to use physical force, or anything like that," Bernard says.
"We simply saved him. And that's it."
Better prepared than Russians
The two captured North Korean POWs are currently in the custody of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv. Both were wounded and are reportedly receiving medical attention.
One has said he was born in 2005 and began serving as a rifleman in North Korea in 2021, while the other POW was born in 1999 and has served in the North Korean army since 2016 as a sniper reconnaissance officer.
Both Bоrsuk and Bernard say there are noticeable differences between the battlefield performance of North Korean and Russian soldiers.
"Compared to Russian soldiers, they are much better prepared physically and mentally. They are deliberately trained for where they're going and what they'll be doing," says Borsuk.
"It's clear that the Russians don't push themselves as hard as they do. They (North Korean soldiers) can carry heavy loads, run for long distances, and survive much better in extreme conditions."
Bernard suggests they are better prepared thanks to their eight-year-long military service. However, when it comes to more "complex maneuvers," the North Korean soldiers struggle to execute them effectively, he adds.
"Here, they can't apply everything they were trained for because the war is not the same as what they were told, or shown it would be," says Bernard.
According to Bernard, North Koreans appear to be struggling to adapt to drones and aerial reconnaissance, both of which play a dominant role on the modern battlefield.
South Korea's National Intelligence Service has previously claimed that at least 300 North Korean soldiers had been killed and another 2,700 wounded fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast, attributing their high casualties to the soldiers' “lack of understanding of modern warfare," including their "useless" attempts to shoot down long-range drones.
Borsuk believes that the ratio of killed to wounded among North Koreans is actually quite different.
"They have many more killed," he says, adding their coordination with the Russian units is "clearly poor," partially because of the language barrier.
However, the North Korean soldiers also appear to be more motivated and resilient than the Russian troops, according to Bernard.
"They seem very committed to their ideology. That's why they are true to their norms and what they were told about who they are and what they should do. And they simply can't do it any other way," he says.
While Western officials including outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin have described Russia's use of North Korean troops as an indication of Moscow's "growing desperation," Borsuk says their use could potentially shift the dynamics of the war.
"Imagine a battalion facing a force of up to 10,000 troops," says Borsuk. "They can throw battalion after battalion into the fight, and they're not running out of personnel."
This relentless tactic strains both Ukrainian soldiers and logistical support, as significant resources are required to counter such waves, according to Borsuk.
"These actions usually bring minimal results. However, it's not ruled out that they could deploy a larger number of troops," he says.
"Well, they come, die, and that's it," says Bernard.
"It's just that, perhaps, we should be doing a slightly different job, but instead, we're focused on eliminating them."
