Ukraine Is Trying To Convince North Korean Soldiers To Surrender Rather Than Fight Alongside Russia

• Ukraine is making videos and dropping leaflets connected North Korean troops to get them to surrender.
• North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to thief Russia successful its warfare against Ukraine, per sources.
• "Many spot it arsenic a chance to flight nan regime," nan project's spokesperson told Euronews.

Ukraine is trying to seduce North Korean soldiers to surrender alternatively than conflict alongside Russia.

Ukrainian intelligence services person been distributing leaflets via drones and projectiles, and making videos urging North Korean troops to desert, according to Euronews.

Vitality Matvienko, spokesperson for nan "I Want to Live" project, told Euronews that "of course, not everyone wants to fight."

"We cognize very good nan surviving conditions successful North Korea," he said. "Therefore, galore spot it arsenic a chance to flight nan authorities and spell to different country."

Ukraine is carrying retired its efforts nether "I Want to Live," a work that has facilitated Russian soldiers' surrender. In October 2022, Russia blocked entree to its hotline and chatbot, though it is still accessible successful nan state via VPN.

North Korea has sent thousands of troops to assistance Russia successful its conflict against Ukraine, per officials from South Korea, Ukraine, and nan US.

Dmytro Ponomarenko, Ukraine's ambassador to South Korea, told Voice of America past period that nan number could scope 15,000, pinch troops rotated retired each 2 to 3 months, pinch a cumulative 100,000 North Korean soldiers serving successful Russia wrong a year.

Ukraine's "I Want to Live" task told Business Insider nan leaflets authorities that Kim Il Sung — North Korea's laminitis — does not want North Korean soldiers to conflict for Russian "imperialists."

The leaflets besides incorporate step-by-step instructions connected really to surrender, pinch guarantees and benefits for those prisoners of war, it said.

It declined to disclose different methods being utilized to person North Korean troops to surrender.

"I Want to Live" posted a video connected its Telegram transmission earlier this period showing a North Korean unpaid successful nan Ukrainian equipped forces calling connected his countrymen to return their chance.

"We will not conscionable invited you but thief you commencement a caller life," he said. "Support, work, and nan opportunity to unrecorded a decent life are waiting for you here. Even money, truthful you tin commencement your measurement pinch a cleanable slate."

The matter accompanying nan video said Ukraine guaranteed each prisoners humane treatment. "Far distant from 'Big Brother,' who watches complete each nan inhabitants of North Korea, it is simply a misdeed not to return advantage of this unsocial opportunity," it said.

In October, Ukraine's subject intelligence agency put retired a statement with nan committedness of providing comfortable beds and lukewarm meals to North Korean soldiers who surrendered.

It besides published a Korean-language video showcasing its prisoner-of-war camps, arsenic good arsenic nan meals served there.

Last month, South Korean intelligence estimated that Russia was paying astir $2,000 a period for each soldier.

But Bruce W. Bennett, a defense interrogator and North Korea master astatine RAND, told BI that he suspects nan money is going straight to North Korea's ruling elite.

"Perhaps only a mini magnitude aliases moreover nothing" will spell to nan soldiers themselves, he said.