A North Korean soldier who was captured while fighting in Russia's war against Ukraine has died of his wounds, South Korea's spy agency said Friday. Pyongyang has deployed thousands of troops to reinforce Russia's military, including in the Kursk border region where Ukraine mounted a shock border incursion in August.

Pyongyang’s role in Ukraine war exposed as 1st North Korean combatant captured supporting Russian forces - Anadolu Ajansı

More than 10,000 soldiers are believed to have been sent to support Russia's war against Ukraine, according to Kyiv and Seoul.

The announcement followed reports from Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi, which claimed the soldier was captured by Ukrainian special forces during operations in Russia’s Kursk region.

South Korea's spy agency said Friday it had confirmed that a North Korean soldier sent to back Russia's war against Ukraine had been captured by Ukrainian forces. "Through real-time information sharing with an allied country's intelligence agency,

Russian ruler Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, 26 December, answering a question about the prospects for ending the war in Ukraine in 2025, that he was "striving" to end it but was still going to achieve his "goals".

Vladimir Putin says Russia is 'striving' to end the conflict in Ukraine. The Russian President said the Government was prepared to use intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missiles or to use more powerful intermediate-range weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his country seeks to end the war in Ukraine. However, in 2025, Russia will continue to achieve all goals of its so-called special military operation, stated Putin at a press conference following a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council.