MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin on Monday thanked North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the “feat” of Pyongyang’s troops in helping wrest back the area held by Ukraine in Russia’s Kursk region.

“The Korean friends acted, guided by the sentiments of solidarity, justice and real camaraderie,” the Kremlin cited Putin as saying.

“We appreciate it a lot and are deeply grateful to comrade Kim Jong Un personally... and the North Korean people.”

Russian Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov on Saturday hailed the “heroism” of the North Korean soldiers, who he said “provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces.”

North Korea on Monday confirmed for the first time it had deployed troops to Russia, with state news agency KCNA reporting that Pyongyang’s soldiers helped Moscow reclaim territory in Kursk.

South Korean and Western intelligence agencies had long reported that Pyongyang sent more than 10,000 soldiers to help in Kursk last year.