The Ukrainian military is waging psychological warfare against North Korean troops fighting alongside Russian forces, seeking to persuade them to surrender rather than needlessly lose their lives on the battlefield.
Euronews reported on Tuesday that as part of a project called “I want to live”, the Ukrainian military produced leaflets and videos to encourage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s troops to surrender. News week contacted the Ukrainian and Russian defense ministries, as well as the North Korean embassy in Beijing, by email for comment outside of normal business hours.
North Korea, an ally of Russia, has reportedly deployed up to 12,000 troops in the Kursk region in western Russia, where Ukraine has seized part of the territory, to support the Moscow’s war effort, according to South Korean, American and Ukrainian intelligence. .
While confirming that the first North Korean soldiers had been killed in the conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that they would be “cannon fodder”. This came after a Russian military blogger claimed that the “highly trained and motivated” forces were not directly deployed for combat.
KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images
In exchange for Pyongyang’s military assistance, Russia will provide combat aircraft to North Korea, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, recently told reporters.
According to Euronews, Ukrainian intelligence services launched the “I want to live” project after the start of the large-scale Russian invasion of the country on February 24, 2022. By dropping planes on the battlefield, enemy troops are encouraged to surrender. on the Ukrainian side.
The project initially targeted Russian soldiers who refused to take part in President Vladimir Putin’s war. It is claimed that 350 Putin soldiers have laid down their arms thanks to this project.
The new leaflets, written in Korean and printed with illustrations, are distributed on the front lines. They explain to North Korean troops how to surrender: lie face down on the ground, hold up a white sheet or leaflet and drop their weapons.
Vitaliy Matvienko, a volunteer working for the project, said many North Korean soldiers might view combat deployment as a chance to escape Kim’s regime and live in another country.
The Ukrainian military earlier posted a video on a Telegram channel, also titled “I want to live,” South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported. The video attempts to convince North Korean troops to surrender because they will be given shelter, food and warmth while being prisoners of war.
