The governor of Russia’s Kursk region is seeking to award North Korean troops fighting against Ukrainian forces with medals, following plans to install a memorial to celebrate Russia-DPRK military ties.

Regional authorities notified the Russian Defense Ministry of their “readiness to honor our combat comrades, our brother warriors of the Korean People’s Army,” Governor Alexander Khinshtein said in an interview at a local medal-awarding ceremony in Kursk on Tuesday. 

Similar proposals have already been sent to the Russian military and Kursk is waiting for a response,  according to Khinshtein.

“We understand that we are talking about servicemen of another state,