Kim Jong Un has confirmed for the first time that North Korean soldiers follow a policy of killing themselves on the battlefield to avoid capture while fighting in Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Axar.az informs, citing Independent, speaking at the inauguration of a memorial museum dedicated to North Korean soldiers killed in the conflict, the North Korean dictator praised what he described as the “extraordinary heroism” of troops who “unhesitatingly opted for self-blasting, suicide attack”, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea remains the only third party to deploy troops directly to the frontlines of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, as part of a deal that cemented the axis between Vladimir Putin’s invading forces and the east Asian hermit kingdom.