Putin hails ‘heroic’ North Korean troops

Russian President Vladimir Putin has hailed North Korean troops sent to fight in Ukraine as “heroic” in a letter he sent to Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un, according to North Korean state media. In a letter marking the anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japanese rule, Mr Putin recalled how Soviet Red Army units and North Korean forces fought together to end Japan’s colonial occupation. “The bonds of militant friendship, goodwill and mutual aid which were consolidated in the days of the war long ago remain solid and reliable even today,” Mr Putin said in the letter revealed by North Korean state media.