North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been awarded a medal commemorating the 80th anniversary of Victory Day by the Russian government on Thursday, Moscow’s embassy in Pyongyang said.

According to the embassy’s social media post, the medal marking the Soviet Union’s World War II victory over Nazi Germany was conferred on Kim on the directive of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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An award ceremony was held at Pyongyang’s Mansudae Assembly Hall, where Russian Ambassador Alexandr Matsegora presented the medal and certificate to Kang Yun-sok, Vice Chairman of North Korea’s Standing Committee of the Supreme People’s Assembly.

The certificate stated that Kim received the medal in recognition of his contributions to honoring the memory of Soviet soldiers who died and are buried in North Korea, Yonhap news agency reported.

The medal was awarded more than a month ahead of Victory Day, which falls on May 9. Russia had previously conferred similar medals on Kim in May 2015 and May 2020 to mark the 70th and 75th anniversaries.

This comes after a Russian Minister said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to Russia is expected this year, and the preparations are underway for it.

Speaking to journalists in Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said Russia is preparing for Kim’s visit to the country, Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti reported, though they did not specify the exact timing of the visit.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is also planning to visit Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital, to continue the strategic dialogue with North Korea, according to the reports.

The news came amid growing speculation about Kim’s potential visit to Russia on the occasion of Russia’s 80th Victory Day anniversary on May 9, potentially as a reciprocation for Russian President Putin’s visit to North Korea in June last year.

At that time, Putin invited Kim to Moscow for summit talks.

Earlier this month, Rudenko traveled to Pyongyang, where he met North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Jong-gyu and discussed arranging “political contacts at the high and top levels,” TASS previously reported.

Last week, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu also traveled to Pyongyang and met with Kim, delivering a message from Putin, Yonhap news agency reported, quoting the Russian news agencies TASS and Ria Novosti.

North Korea and Russia have aligned closely since Kim and Putin signed a mutual defence treaty during the Russian President’s visit to Pyongyang last year, elevating bilateral military cooperation and resulting in the deployment of North Korean troops to Russia.