Braxton Taylor
Ukrainian officials say they’ve captured two North Korean soldiers during fighting in Russia’s Kursk region late last week. “Two soldiers, though wounded, survived and were transported to Kyiv, where they are now communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine,” President Volodymir Zelenskky announced Saturday on social media.
Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers carried out the personnel recovery, which the president said was “not an easy task” as “Russian forces and other North Korean military personnel usually execute their wounded.”
“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” Zelenskyy said, adding, “I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners. The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”
Kyiv is ready to hand over the captured soldiers in a prisoner exchange involving Ukrainian personnel currently held in Russia, the president said. “For those North Korean soldiers who do not wish to return, there may be other options available,” he said, noting, “those who express a desire to bring peace closer by spreading the truth about this war in Korean will be given that opportunity.”
For what it’s worth, the captured North Koreans are not requesting to defect to South Korea, a lawmaker in Seoul told Yonhap news agency following a briefing from intelligence officials. One of them reportedly said he wants to stay in Ukraine; he also claims he didn’t know he would be fighting against Ukraine, only training inside Russia. (The other soldier had so many bandages on his face he didn’t appear to be able to speak.)
Update: An estimated 300 North Korean soldiers have been killed fighting alongside Russia, and another 2,700 are believed to have been wounded, South Korean intelligence officials said in a closed-door briefing Monday.
Read more at Yonhap, and Agence France-Presse has a bit more on the captures, reporting Sunday.
In video: Explore a “secret Ukraine bomb factory” cranking out new and repurposed ammunition, according to Ukraine’s United24, which posted its nearly six-minute video report to YouTube, here.
From the region: Poland’s military recently fired a general after anti-tank mines were found in an IKEA store, Polish media reported last week. His name is Maj. Gen. Artur Kępczynski, and he was a top logistics officer, Politico reported Friday.
Additional reading:
Welcome to this Monday edition of The D Brief, brought to you by Ben Watson and Bradley Peniston. Share your newsletter tips, reading recommendations, or feedback here. And if you’re not already subscribed, you can do that here. On this day in 2021, President Donald Trump was impeached for a second time on a charge of incitement of insurrection for the riot at the Capitol on January 6.
Around the Defense Department
Around 2,500 National Guard soldiers have been activated for California’s wildfires, the governor’s office announced Sunday. Other Guard members from Nevada and Wyoming are helping, too, the Bureau said Friday.
An estimated 500 active duty troops are assisting with recovery efforts as well, the Defense Department said Friday. They’ll be tasked with “route clearance, commodity distribution, search and rescue, rotary wing, airlift, and general support as requested,” Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina said in her final briefing.
“It’s important to remember that the department is in a supporting role for this response, with FEMA leading and coordinating federal response and assistance,” she said. “We are actively planning and preparing capabilities and resources and are working closely with FEMA, the State of California, to provide support and to ensure a unified response to the wildfires,” Singh added.
The ongoing fires’ death toll rose to 24 on Sunday, with damages estimated around at least $250 billion so far, according to Accuweather, which describes the latest fires as already among the worst in California’s history.
Developing: Ukraine is preparing 150 firefighters to travel to California to help with the wildfire response, President Zelenskyy said Sunday. “The situation there is extremely difficult, and Ukrainians can help Americans save lives,” he said in a video on social media.
Related reading:
Austin told White House DOD needs $826B, which is $55B more than the current budget plan. In a previously undisclosed Nov. 27 to the Office of Management and Budget, outgoing Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “recommended the US government boost defense spending by about $50 billion more than projected in fiscal year 2026 with increases that would push the Pentagon budget past $1 trillion in the years to come,” Bloomberg reported Monday after seeing the letter.
Houthis: we struck at carrier group. The Yemeni group claims to have carried out a nine-hour drone and missile attack targeting the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier “and a number of its warships” in the northern Red Sea on Saturday.
CENTCOM visits Truman. Gen. Michael Kurilla paid a visit to the Truman the following day, according to a command press release that did not mention the purported Houthi attack.
China
Outgoing Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks said she’s “concerned China will instigate” an avoidable conflict, Defense One’s Meghann Myers reported Friday.
“We don’t believe conflict is inevitable. But it’s our job to prevent war by always being ready for war if it comes,” she said in public remarks at an event hosted by the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. “So where Beijing might see DOD anticipating a potential conflict, that’s because we’re concerned Beijing will instigate one. Both sides must try hard to avoid misunderstandings in this dynamic.” Continue reading, here.
Update: U.S. determines that China unfairly dominates shipbuilding. Last April, the U.S. Trade Representative’s office launched an inquest at the request of the United Steelworkers and four other U.S. unions under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the U.S. to penalize foreign countries that engage in acts that are “unjustifiable” or “unreasonable,” or burden U.S. commerce. The report concluded that is the case, paving the way for penalties. Read more at Reuters.
Is China building an invasion fleet? According to Naval News, “A number of special and unusual barges, at least 3 but likely 5 or more, have been observed in Guangzhou Shipyard in southern China. These have unusually long road bridges extending from their bows….Naval News has seen multiple sources confirming their construction, and has shared information with naval experts to validate our preliminary analysis. The consensus is that these are most likely for amphibious landings.” Read on, here.
Americas
Last-minute Biden rule aims to ease AI exports to allied, limit leaks to adversaries. The rule governs the export of AI-related systems and chips, particularly ones that require immense numbers of calculations to train or operate. Biden officials hailed the “interim final rule”—a category of rule that goes into effect immediately but can be changed after public comment—but America’s top chipmaker castigated it as “sweeping overreach” that would stifle innovation. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports.
And lastly today: Blue Origin rocket debut postponed. “If New Glenn lifts off on Monday as planned, the Amazon founder’s rocket company will be on track to give Elon Musk’s SpaceX some genuine competition,” the New York Times wrote on Saturday.
But just five minutes before the heavy-lift rocket was to lift off, the launch was scrubbed for what AP called “technical trouble.” Crews quickly drained the rocket’s fuel, and no retry date was immediately set. Read, here.
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