North Korean Troops Ordered to Kill Themselves in Ukraine, Kim Jong Un Confirms

The dictator confirmed for the first time that North Korean troops fighting Ukraine are ordered to kill themselves to avoid capture. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied This picture taken on March 23, 2026 and released by North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on March 24, 2026 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivering a speech at the Assembly Hall in Pyongyang. (Photo by KCNA VIA KNS / AFP) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has publicly confirmed that North Korean soldiers fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine were expected to kill themselves rather than be captured, Bloomberg reported . Kim praised troops who chose “self-blasting” during a memorial event in Pyongyang for North Korean soldiers killed in the war, presenting them as “heroes who defended the country’s honor.” Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . The remarks appeared to confirm long-standing reports from Ukrainian, South Korean and Western officials that North Korean troops sent to Russia had orders to avoid capture at all costs, including by suicide. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that North Korea opened a new memorial in Pyongyang on April 26 for soldiers killed in the Ukraine war. The site includes graves for about 280 soldiers, though South Korean intelligence estimates around 2,000 North Korean troops died during the campaign to push Ukrainian forces out of Russia’s Kursk region. North Korea had previously commemorated only 101 soldiers killed in the campaign. Neither Pyongyang nor Moscow has released official casualty figures. North Korea sent an estimated 14,000 to 15,000 troops to Russia between late 2024 and June 2025. Moscow and Pyongyang initially denied that North Korean troops were fighting Ukrainian forces, but acknowledged their presence in April 2025. At the memorial opening, Kim described the campaign as “a new history of friendship between Korea and Russia written in blood.” Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Kim a letter calling the site a symbol of unity between Russia and North Korea. Other Topics of Interest Belarus Releases Five Prisoners Under US-Brokered Deal Officials said the exchange involved multiple countries and included the release of a prominent Russian archaeologist. In exchange for sending troops, Pyongyang is believed to have received cash, food and technical assistance, RFE/RL reported. President Volodymyr Zelensky said thousands of North Korean troops remained in Russia as of February. Only two North Korean soldiers have been captured alive by Ukraine, and both are being held in the country. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.