North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inaugurated a memorial hall in Pyongyang honoring soldiers who supported Russia’s war efforts against Ukraine on Sunday, hailing the new site as “a great fortress where the souls of loyalists and the hearts of love for the motherland beat high.”

On the first anniversary of Russia’s declaration that it had “liberated” the border region of Kursk, Kim and senior officials from both countries attended the opening ceremony of the Memorial Museum of Combat Feats for Overseas Military Operations, the state-owned Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Monday.

“This immortal hall … serves as a