Ukraine's 40th Separate Marine Brigade cleared 5 square kilometers in the Pokrovsk direction, captured two Russian soldiers, and stopped Russian infiltration there, the brigade said on 27 September.

Even small gains count on one of the most heavily contested fronts of Russia's war, where Russia has spent years and repeated offensives trying to push farther west. Ukrainian forces continue to carry out local operations there despite sustained Russian attacks.

Operation Audit

The brigade called the operation Audit and said its sniper company, reconnaissance company, and 1st Marine Battalion carried it out. The marines said they eliminated the remaining Russian troops identified in the cleared area. The brigade released video footage that it said documented the operation.

Pokrovsk front under sustained pressure

The Pokrovsk front has been among the most heavily attacked sectors for years. From 22 to 27 September, Ukraine's General Staff reported 20 to 29 Russian attacks there a day, peaking on 24 September, with Kostiantynivka the other main focus.

Russian troops infiltrate this front in small groups, sometimes one soldier at a time. The marines said the ones they found had been sent to hide in shelters and wait for the right moment to advance further. The operation halted that infiltration push in the sector, the brigade said.

Russia's long campaign for Pokrovsk

Russia launched its offensive toward Pokrovsk in February 2024, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). Over a grinding campaign, Russian forces seized Pokrovsk and most of Myrnohrad, ISW assessed.

ISW assessed in February 2026 that Russia had failed to capitalize on the seizure of Pokrovsk and had been unable to make significant advances west of the city since December 2025. Russian forces had not even taken Hryshyne, a settlement just 2 kilometers northwest, ISW noted at the time.

Seoul called on Kyiv to explain and apologize for making public the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war, saying Ukraine had broken an agreement to keep the move private and later denied that such an agreement existed, Reuters reported on 27 September. Seoul also said it was reviewing additional measures if necessary.

The dispute puts new pressure on ties between Ukraine and South Korea as Seoul supports Kyiv while also dealing with growing military cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said Seoul "expresses strong regret over Ukraine's unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a nondisclosure agreement," according to the Korea Herald.

Seoul said Ukraine had requested that the transfer remain confidential, citing fears of a backlash at home for passing up a chance to trade the two soldiers for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia, though a presidential official called the handover humanitarian, not a prisoner exchange, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported. Seoul went along with the request to protect the soldiers and their families and for diplomatic and security reasons, Seong said, according to the Korea Herald.

Ukraine had denied that the two countries had agreed to keep the transfer private. Dmytro Lytvyn, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, replied to a critic on Facebook that "there was no agreement to remain silent" and that hiding the prisoners' destination "would also be wrong," the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

How the dispute unfolded

Zelenskyy announced the transfer on 23 September during a speech at the UN General Assembly. He said Ukraine had recently sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. He also described one soldier's attempt to kill himself after realizing he would be captured and accused North Korean leader Kim Jong Un of using his soldiers "like currency," pointing to Pyongyang's improved ballistic missiles and drone capabilities as what it gets in return.

The next day, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said the transfer should not have been disclosed and that the two sides had agreed to keep it private. A South Korean presidential official said Ukraine had told Seoul in advance that Zelenskyy might mention the transfer and Seoul had asked that the soldiers' destination not be disclosed, though it was unclear how he would phrase it, the Korea JoongAng Daily reported.

Who the two soldiers are

The two soldiers—Ri, 26, a reconnaissance sniper, and Baek, 21, a rifleman—were captured by Ukrainian forces in Russia's Kursk Oblast in January 2025, according to their interview with South Korea's Chosun Ilbo. Both had served in North Korea's Reconnaissance General Bureau and later asked to go to South Korea in media interviews and handwritten letters to defector groups.

The two countries' foreign ministers discussed the prisoners' status in March and June, reaching a shared understanding that the case should be resolved under international law and humanitarian principles, according to South Korea's Foreign Ministry. On 8 July, at the NATO summit in Ankara, Lee and Zelenskyy agreed to handle the case on humanitarian grounds while respecting the soldiers' wishes.

The two soldiers arrived in South Korea the weekend before Zelenskyy announced their transfer at the UN General Assembly, opposition lawmaker Yu Yong-weon said.

North Korea's role in Russia's war

North Korea began sending troops to support Russia's war in late 2024, with initial estimates putting the deployment at more than 10,000 soldiers. Many were sent to Russia's Kursk Oblast. The two countries signed a strategic partnership pact with a mutual defense clause in Pyongyang in June 2024.

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