A pair of North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia were captured by Ukrainian forces, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy revealed over the weekend. It marks the first time North Korean forces have been taken alive and held for questioning since their arrival at the front lines.
While estimates vary, analysts believe North Korea sent upward of 10,000 troops to assist Russia sometime in October. The group represents less than 1% of North Korea’s 1.3 million-person military—though how effective they are is unknown, as the country hasn’t deployed troops in a large-scale combat scenario since the Korean War in 1950-53. See a map of the current state of the war here.
Separately, the US leveled a new round of sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, including “shadow fleets” of ships secretly ferrying oil and gas. The restrictions are expected to impact China and India, which have become top destinations for Russian energy exports since the start of the war.