North Korean leader Kim Jong Un kicked off construction of a large cemetery and memorial for soldiers who died in Russia’s war against Ukraine on Thursday, according to state media, where he said the two countries’ “blood ties” outmatched participation in the war by the “U.S. and the West.”

Thousands of military construction workers and troops who fought in Russia — including those who have recovered from injuries — attended the ceremony to build the “Memorial Museum of Combat Feats at Overseas Military Operations.”