Last fall, U.S. and South Korean intelligence agencies noticed North Korean soldiers secretly entering Russia to reinforce the deadly stalemate between Russia and Ukraine. Apparently, the North Korean military kept the secret even from their own soldiers. When dictators conspire for conquest, ordinary human beings bear most of the cost.

Two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukraine give a humanizing picture to agents of the hermit kingdom. One soldier suffered from a face wound, the other a broken leg. One soldier carried a false Russian military ID, while the other had no identification at all. Neither knew that they were fighting in Ukraine.

The capture of these prisoners of war is noteworthy because these are the first North Korean soldiers Ukraine has captured alive. On orders from their government, wounded soldiers have killed themselves or been killed by their comrades rather than be captured. “Due to their ideological mindset and indoctrination, they simply lack the concept of surrendering,” Ukrainian military spokesman Oleksandr Kindratenko suggested.

As a result, Ukraine estimates that 4,000 North Koreans have been killed or captured since last month. American sources estimate a lower number of 1,200 (including 1,000 dead), while South Korean sources suggest 300 dead and 2,700 injured.

According to these estimates, between 12% to 40% of the 10,000 North Koreans training in Russia in October have already become casualties of war. Footage from Ukrainian war drones shows the soldiers “under duress, frightened, or confused,” The Wall Street Journal summarized, either cowering in place or trying to outrun the drones on foot across open country.

Where they do fight, the North Koreans often stand little chance of survival. “These North Korean soldiers appear to be highly indoctrinated, pushing attacks even when it is clear that those attacks are futile,” said U.S. National Security Council Spokesman John Kirby.

These brief glimpses suggest that the North Korean soldiers are ill-prepared for their assignment — if they even know what it is — and were merely thrown as fodder into the meat grinder to fulfill the purposes of their superiors.

On Saturday, Ukraine shared excerpts from a diary of a North Korean soldier, Jong Kyong Hong, who was killed in a shootout on December 21 (a DNA test confirmed his East Asian descent). “Even at the cost of my life, I will carry out the Supreme Commander’s orders without hesitation. I will show the world the bravery and sacrifice of Kim Jong Un’s special forces,” he wrote. The diary also included the soldier’s recitation of North Korean propaganda, describing the “benevolent embrace” of Kim Jong Un’s “Workers’ Party” and his need to atone for unspecified past sins.

“The contents of the diary are typical of a brainwashed North Korean soldier,” former South Korean general Bang Jong-kwan claimed, perhaps a bit derisively.

The soldiers might be brainwashed, but at least two alternative motives seem plausible: glory and family. “Letters expressing your loyalty to the regime are an attempt to leave a legacy that allows you to be glorified in case you die in battle,” Ryu Seong-hyeon, a defector from the North Korean army, told The Wall Street Journal. On the other hand, the soldier could have written the diary with an eye to the welfare of his family members back home. In a country where you “clap because you don’t want to die,” the written transcription of official North Korean doctrine may be this soldier’s last, best attempt to preserve the welfare of his family.

Sadly, the diary also reveals the crude tactics North Korean soldiers use, illustrating their military’s disregard for human life. In a stick-figure sketch, the soldier depicted how three-man teams would take on a Ukrainian drone, with one soldier acting as “bait” to give the others an opportunity to fire.

Considering the high casualty rate among North Korean soldiers, this tactic has met with little success.

Of course, neither Russia nor North Korea has officially acknowledged the presence of North Korean soldiers on the Ukrainian front. In fact, not even the soldiers themselves appear to know they are fighting in Ukraine, according to a recent video of the North Korean prisoners. One prisoner appeared bewildered when told he was now in Ukraine and said he was only told that he “would train as if we were in real combat.”

The other soldier had a bandaged jaw and could not speak. But he nodded to indicate he had parents in North Korea. Then he shook his head when asked whether they knew where he was.

“The video clip of the two soldiers shows that Kim Jong-un has not been able to find a way to justify his country’s participation in the Russia-Ukraine war to his people,” argued North Korea expert Kang Dong-wan.

The secrecy may also be designed to hide the high casualty rate, as South Korean intelligence caught wind of preparations for a second wave of North Korean soldiers to head to the Ukrainian front.

Perhaps the most telling revelation came from the soldier who could speak. When asked whether he wanted to return home, he responded by asking whether the Ukrainians were good people. When the interpreter said they were, he answered, “I want to live here.”

What fear and brutality must residents of the hermit kingdom experience, to engender such a response!