Pyongyang has released a statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin thanking the people of North Korea for sending troops to Russia.

In a statement released Tuesday through the North’s state-run newspaper the Rodong Sinmun, Putin said the dispatch of North Korean troops was “fully in compliance with international law” and in accordance with Article 4 of the comprehensive strategic partnership treaty between the two nations.

The Russian leader also expressed gratitude to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leadership and the North Korean people, saying “the heroes” will forever be remembered.

The newspaper also carried statements of gratitude addressed to the North Korean military from the Russian Foreign Ministry and from Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

The disclosure of the messages to the North Korean public has been interpreted as an attempt to prevent unrest due to the large-scale casualties the country has suffered in the war.

Meanwhile, a military delegation left for Russia on Monday to attend an international event, but there is speculation that the two sides may discuss the possibility of Kim making a trip to Moscow around Victory Day, which falls May 9.