Kim Jong-un Praises North Korean Troops Who Self-detonated To Avoid Capture In Ukraine War

2 min readMay 1, 2026 01:41 PM IST

In 2024, Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, deployed around 14,000 troops to support Russia’s war against Ukraine. The forces were engaged in combat near the border town of Sudzha, which Ukrainian troops had seized during a surprise counteroffensive that summer.

Intelligence reports suggest that North Korea has explicitly instructed its soldiers to resort to self-detonation or other forms of suicide rather than risk capture by enemy forces. Officials estimate that more than 6,000 North Korean soldiers were killed in the intense fighting, The Guardian reported.

Speaking at a ceremony attended by Russian officials and families of fallen soldiers, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un publicly praised troops who blew themselves up with grenades to avoid capture while fighting Ukrainian forces in Russia’s western Kursk region, effectively confirming the existence of this extreme battlefield doctrine.

The event, held to commemorate North Korean troops, marked the first time Kim Jong-un acknowledged the extent of such actions. According to a transcript released by the state news agency KCNA, he described them as acts of heroism.

“It is not only the heroes who unhesitatingly chose the path of self-destruction and suicide to defend great honour, but also those who fell while charging at the forefront of assault battles,” he said, The Guardian reported.

He added that even those who survived deserved recognition, describing them as patriots.

North Korea has also reportedly supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells and a significant number of short-range ballistic missiles. In return, Moscow is believed to have provided economic support and military technology, according to South Korean intelligence.

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