North Korean troops have been deployed to bolster Russian forces in the Kursk border region with Ukraine, where they are gaining battlefield experience despite initial heavy losses.

Ukraine this week released a video of two North Korean fighters taken prisoner by its forces in Russia's Kursk region. In an interview with RFE/RL, soldiers involved in the North Koreans' capture described them as experienced fighters who feared repercussions against their families back home.

A video released last week shows Ukrainian authorities interrogating two North Korean soldiers captured in the Kursk region of Russia. In the video, one of the soldiers expressed a desire to stay in Ukraine;