North Korean leader Kim Jong Un highlighted on Saturday how his nation and Russia had shared “blood, life and death” in the Ukraine war, as he sent President Vladimir Putin new year’s greetings. Pyongyang has dispatched thousands of troops to fight for Moscow, according to South Korean and Western intelligence agencies, as Russia presses ahead with its nearly four-year invasion of Ukraine.For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.In the message, published by the state-run KCNA news agency, Kim said 2025 was a “really meaningful year” for the bilateral alliance that was consolidated by “sharing blood, life and death in the same trench.”North Korea only confirmed in April that it had deployed troops to support Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine and that its soldiers had been killed in combat.Earlier this month, Pyongyang acknowledged that it had sent troops to clear mines in Russia’s Kursk region in August 2025.At least nine troops from an