Kim Jong Un decorates North Korean soldiers who fought for Russia in Ukraine

North Korea's supreme leader, Kim Jong Un, decorated the thousands of soldiers he sent to the war in Ukraine to fight alongside the Russian army at a ceremony in Pyongyang.

In remarks reported by AFP, Kim praised all the soldiers who died and those who "returned home with great honor" after enduring "the hail of bullets and bombs of the life-and-death war on foreign soil."

To the officers, the North Korean supreme leader bestowed the title of "hero of the DPRK."

Some images released by the North Korean regime's public media show Kim looking at portraits of soldiers who died in the Ukraine war and, in others, the supreme leader hugging several of the survivors.

North Korea expressed its "unconditional" support for Russia practically since the conflict broke out and granted it resources—in the form of weaponry or troops—to carry out its invasion of Ukraine. Kim has been reiterative in backing Vladimir Putin, despite the numerous warnings received from the international community.

From the United States, the Pentagon—first under former President Joe Biden and later under Donald Trump—reported the deployment of North Korean troops in Russia and delivery of war materiel to the Putin regime on several occasions, adding the consequences that would befall soldiers of the North Korean regime.

According to one report, more than 14,000 North Korean soldiers moved to the front lines to fight on the Russian side in 2024.