North Korean troops in Ukraine ordered to die before capture

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly instructed his troops fighting alongside Russian forces in Ukraine to kill themselves with grenades if they face capture. The directive was delivered through twice-weekly political sessions that highlight cases of soldiers who detonated explosives as Ukrainian units approached, according to the Seoul-based Daily NK. Ukrainian Special Operations Forces recently reported one such incident in Russia’s Kursk region where a North Korean soldier blew himself up during a confrontation.

Daily NK reports that political officers assigned to North Korean units in Ukraine present these orders as an extension of loyalty to Kim and military discipline. During the sessions, instructors cite battlefield examples to reinforce the directive, including accounts of soldiers who detonated grenades to avoid interrogation after Russian positions were breached.

Ukrainian forces have identified multiple North Korean fighters across front line engagements, most recently during an operation in the Kursk region where one soldier killed himself as Special Operations troops closed in, according to Reuters. South Korea has confirmed intelligence suggesting significant casualties among North Korean personnel, including about 500 troops reported killed in a Storm Shadow strike last year on Russian positions in Kursk and a senior officer injured in a separate attack. Ukrainian units have also taken two North Korean soldiers alive, including one captured on Jan. 9 who refused to release a sausage even at gunpoint, an incident Ukrainian troops say reflects the severe deprivation facing Pyongyang’s deployed forces.

Analysts say the reported suicide directive aligns with Pyongyang’s longstanding emphasis on sacrifice and reflects deeper coordination between Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin under a 2024 security pact that commits both countries to mutual military assistance. North Korea even made Russian a compulsory school subject from the fourth grade, with officials reporting about 600 students already enrolled and a Russian-built language center underway at Kim Chol Ju Normal University.