Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

A lone North Korean soldier who survived an intense battle against Ukrainian soldiers in Russia’s Kursk region chose to blow himself up rather than allow himself to be captured, Kyiv

The Radio Free Asia portal revealed that North Korean soldiers who died in Russia are posthumously being admitted to the Workers' Party of Korea. Families are not informed about the circumstances of their deaths or their participation in the war.