Overview
- Kim presided over a Pyongyang ceremony, which took place Sunday, with Russia’s defense minister and the Duma speaker as he vowed full support for what he called Russia’s “holy” and “just” war.
- Russia’s Andrei Belousov said Moscow is ready to sign a military cooperation plan for 2027–2031, pointing to a longer-term buildout of joint capabilities.
- The new museum displays alleged battlefield trophies, including a German Leopard 2 tank, a Marder infantry vehicle, and a U.S. Abrams, as North Korea casts its fighters as war victors.
- A plaque that credits North Korean troops with destroying the Leopard on February 11, 2025 is challenged by a January 29, 2025 photo of the same tank, raising doubts about the exhibit’s origin story.
- KCNA images show more than 1,700 sets of remains honored at the site, while South Korea’s intelligence estimates at least 15,000 North Koreans were sent to fight in the Kursk area, in a quid pro quo that analysts say swaps North Korean munitions for Russian technology, food, and fuel.