It was the first such capture of a North Korean soldier fighting on behalf of Russia by Ukraine. He has reportedly died of his injuries.

Ukrainian forces have captured an injured North Korean soldier, marking the first such incident since Pyongyang sent troops to support Russia in the war.

South Korea’s spy agency said while the North Korean soldier was captured alive, he has since died from his injuries,

“It has been confirmed through an allied intelligence agency that the North Korean soldier captured alive on December 26th has just passed away due to worsening wounds,” the South’s spy agency said in a statement.

Ukrainian military sources reported that a soldier was captured during operations in Russia’s Kursk region.

A photo purporting to show the captured soldier had been circulating on the Telegram messaging app.

Kyiv says North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war in Ukraine.