Going to the Pool, Sauna, or Playing Table Tennis
Contact with Locals Prohibited, Difficult to Obtain Alcohol
Alexei (a pseudonym), a Russian soldier who participated in the Ukraine war and injured his leg from shrapnel last summer, revealed that he stayed at a sanatorium in Wonsan, North Korea for recovery.
Yonhap News reported, "On the 20th (local time), the British daily The Guardian published an interview with Alexei (a pseudonym), a Russian soldier who stayed for about a week at a sanatorium in Wonsan, North Korea, along with about 20 other North Korean soldiers."
According to the interview, Alexei, who participated in the Ukraine war, returned to his hometown Vladivostok last summer due to a leg injury. Russia operates rehabilitation programs for soldiers who participated in the war, and Alexei also requested support from his unit for a sanatorium.
Alexei headed to a sanatorium in Wonsan, North Korea. His superior said that popular sanatoriums near the Black Sea and other areas were already fully booked and suggested the North Korean sanatorium to him. Alexei thought, "(The North Korean sanatorium) was different from what I expected, but I should give it a try," and left for North Korea. It is known that North Korea accommodates hundreds of wounded Russian soldiers to help with their recovery and convalescence.
Alexander Matsegora, the Russian ambassador to North Korea, recently stated in an interview with the Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta that hundreds of Russian soldiers wounded in Ukraine are recovering at North Korean sanatoriums and medical facilities.
Alexei said he spent time with fellow soldiers going to the swimming pool, sauna, playing table tennis, and card games. He described the facility as generally clean and good but criticized the medical services and meals as inadequate. He said, "The food was tasteless and there was a lack of meat." He also added that evening outings and contact with locals were prohibited, and it was difficult to obtain alcohol.
Alexei said he was unsure if he would go to North Korea again if given the chance. He said, "I think I would want to recover somewhere closer to home or a familiar place."
North Korea's sanatorium support for wounded Russian soldiers is seen as an example of the increasingly close relationship between North Korea and Russia following the Ukraine war.
Ambassador Matsegora stated in the Gazeta interview that everything related to staying in North Korea, including treatment, nursing, and food, is free of charge. He added, "When we said we would at least compensate our (North Korean) friends for some of the costs, they were sincerely displeased and told us never to do that again."
However, some experts point out that such sanatorium support may be a smokescreen to conceal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia.
The U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW) noted in a report last week, "If Russian soldiers with combat experience, especially officers or non-commissioned officers, go to North Korea, it could be an opportunity for the Russian military to ostensibly appear to be rehabilitating while actually cooperating with the North Korean military and passing on experiences learned from the Ukraine war."
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