Kim Jong Un praises North Korean soldiers for suicide attacks in Ukraine war

During a speech at an event in Pyongyang, Kim Jong Un twice mentioned soldiers who carried out self-detonations.

"Heroes who unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack, to defend the great honor. They did not expect any compensation, though they performed distinguished feats. They died a heroic death," the North Korean leader said.

Thousands of soldiers and weapons for Russia

Bloomberg recalled that in 2024, Kim Jong Un signed a military pact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which included provisions on mutual defense.

Since then, South Korean and Western intelligence agencies have estimated that Pyongyang has sent at least 10,000 soldiers and tens of thousands of containers with weapons to help Russia in the war. It is believed that North Korea has suffered heavy losses, with thousands of people killed in combat.

Kim Jong Un's statement came after reports that North Korean servicemen captured by Ukraine were forced to commit suicide to avoid captivity.

The first reports about the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia appeared in October 2024. The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine's Ministry of Defense and South Korean intelligence recorded the transfer of the first 1,500 soldiers, who were later sent to the Kursk region.

Recently, Ukrainian specialists studied the debris of North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles, which Russia uses to attack Ukraine.

It turned out that these missiles contain civilian chips and components dating back 50 years and are not copies of Russian Iskander missiles, despite their external similarity.