North Korean military officials returned to Pyongyang this week after leading operations in Russia’s war against Ukraine, according to state media on Thursday, ahead of a planned ceremony celebrating war “heroes.”

The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un met with “major commanding officers” of the Korean People’s Army (KPA) in Pyongyang on Wednesday who “participated in the Russian Federation’s Kursk region liberation operation to victory.”