‘Not what I expected’: Russian soldiers sent to North Korea for medical care

Wonsan resorts offer troops time off to recover, but some wonder if move is a pretence for military training

After two years fighting for Russia on the frontlines in Ukraine, Aleksei returned to his home town of Vladivostok last summer to recover from a shrapnel wound to his leg.

Looking to speed up his recovery and take a break from the city, he asked his military unit in Russia’s far east to see if he could secure a state-sponsored stay at a sanatorium – a health resort offering a mix of medical treatment and rest.

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