【Epoch Times February 17, 2025 News】Ukrainian civilian military intelligence organization “Inform Napalm” stated that Ukrainian forces have begun employing psychological warfare tactics targeting North Korean soldiers dispatched to the Kursk region of Russia to participate in the Russia-Ukraine war, urging them to surrender via Korean language broadcasts.
According to Radio Free Asia, a recent video shared on the Telegram channel of “Inform Napalm” showed Ukrainian forces broadcasting messages encouraging North Korean soldiers supporting Russia to surrender.
In the video, a man with a Korean accent said, “Your leaders have sent you to Russia to invade Ukraine. Russia started this war 10 years ago.”
The authenticity of this video could not be independently verified by Epoch Times.
This broadcast marks the latest effort by the Ukrainian military to encourage defections of North Korean soldiers fighting in Kursk through psychological warfare tactics.
The Ukrainian military has also been distributing Korean-language leaflets urging North Korean soldiers to defect and advising them on how to surrender, including promises of humane treatment.
These leaflets are distributed through unmanned drones and even artillery to reach the hands of North Korean soldiers. This activity is part of Ukraine’s “I Want To Live” project, which also provides a hotline and Telegram chatbot to coordinate safe surrenders.
Previous reports by Epoch Times have highlighted that following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukraine established the “I Want To Live” project to drop leaflets at the front lines, urging Russian soldiers unwilling to partake in the war to surrender. To date, several hundred Russian soldiers have surrendered to Ukraine through this project. Now, Ukraine has turned its focus to encouraging North Korean soldiers to surrender.
Despite no public acknowledgment from Russia and North Korea, intelligence from the United States and Ukraine indicates that up to 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to the Kursk region to assist Russia in its fight against Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky pointed out on February 15 that as North Korean soldiers suffer significant losses, Russia has requested thousands more North Korean soldiers to be sent to the country for combat.
During a press conference, Zelensky stated, “At the moment, we are seeing several thousand more – perhaps two to three thousand – being transferred from North Korea to the front lines of Kursk. This is certainly not a symbol of strength.”
Zelensky reiterated the significant casualties among North Korean soldiers, stating, “We understand that they have sustained losses – over 4,000 casualties, of which around two-thirds are fatalities. The morale of the North Korean troops has also decreased as they witness how many people are deserting.”
He also emphasized, “It is important to recognize that Russia continues negotiations with North Korea on the deployment of military personnel, weapons, and missiles. This is another clear example of another country being involved in this war.”
He added that he plans to discuss this issue with the team of former US President Trump.