Kim describes North Korea's support to Russia as a fraternal duty

North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un declared on Sept. 4 that his country “fully supports” the Russian military, calling it a “fraternal duty,” according to North Korean state media. His statement came just a day after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing, where the two leaders reaffirmed their deepening wartime partnership.

“Comrade Kim Jong Un and President Putin exchanged candid opinions on important international and regional issues,” KCNA reported, underscoring the growing strategic alignment between Moscow and Pyongyang.

North Korea has become one of Russia’s most critical allies since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, supplying artillery, missiles, and thousands of troops. The military relationship was formalized in June 2024, when Putin visited Pyongyang and signed the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Agreement, pledging mutual support if either nation came under attack. That pact set the stage for the unprecedented deployment of North Korean soldiers to Russia’s front lines.

Kim initially dispatched between 11,000 and 12,000 troops in late 2024 to help Russia repel a Ukrainian cross-border offensive in Kursk Oblast. After Moscow regained much of the territory in spring 2025, both Putin and Kim openly acknowledged North Korea’s combat role—a dramatic escalation that shattered decades of precedent.

“I would like to note that your warriors fought bravely and displayed heroism. We will never forget the sacrifices made by your armed forces and the families of your servicemen,” Putin told Kim during their Sept. 3 talks.

Russia hit a humanitarian mission and blames Ukrainian drone units

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed on Sept. 4 that its forces had destroyed “Ukrainian drone units” in Chernihiv Oblast. In reality, the strike hit an internationally recognized humanitarian mission tasked with clearing landmines, Ukrainian officials said.

The attack targeted employees of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC), a group working to remove explosive remnants of war. According to regional governor Viacheslav Chaus, two members of the team were killed and at least five others wounded. Despite Moscow’s assertion that it destroyed militants and drone launchers, the victims were unarmed aid workers conducting demining operations.

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner, condemned the strike as “yet another cynical crime,” stressing that Russia is once again flouting international law. “Attacking people engaged in humanitarian work means deliberately undermining humanitarian activity. The world must respond,” he said.

Russians dropped glide bombs on the Kostiantynivka hospital and killed two people in the village nearby

Russian forces carried out new airstrikes in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 4, dropping bombs on the city of Kostiantynivka and the nearby village of Illinivka, according to Ukrainian officials.

Th head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, reported that Kostiantynivka’s hospital was deliberately targeted with three aerial bombs. The facility had continued to serve local residents despite ongoing shelling in the region. Additional strikes on Illinivka killed two civilians and damaged at least five non-residential buildings.