According to Kiev, North Korean troops were spotted in Russia's Kursk border region with Ukraine

CNN
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A group of North Korean soldiers was spotted in Russia's Kursk region, an area on the border with Ukraine where ongoing military operations are taking place, Ukrainian military intelligence said on Thursday.

In a post on its official Telegram account, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence said that some North Korean troops that had been trained in Russia's Far East had made their way to Russia's western region, where Ukraine has continued to invade since the start of its invasion August gained a foothold.

According to the secret service, the troops were seen in Kursk on Wednesday. The approximately 12,000 North Korean soldiers sent to Russia would be trained at five military training areas in the east of the country.

The Kremlin had initially rejected allegations of North Korean troop deployments, but on Thursday at the BRICS summit Russian President Vladimir Putin did not deny that Pyongyang had sent soldiers to the country.

Last week, CNN geolocated social media videos showing troops arriving at the Sergeevka military training area near Russia's border with China.

Thursday's figure of 12,000 is higher than previously reported by U.S. officials. On Wednesday, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that at least 3,000 North Korean soldiers had arrived in eastern Russia this month.

Ukrainian intelligence said on Thursday that “several weeks” were set aside for coordinating North Korean troops, which include 500 officers and three generals.

Ukraine had repeatedly warned that warming relations between Russia and North Korea could lead to Pyongyang taking a more direct role in the war in Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Tuesday that Kyiv had information about Russia “Training two military units from North Korea,” including perhaps “two brigades of 6,000 men each.” He added that Ukraine had seen North Korean “officers and technical personnel in the temporarily occupied territories” and believed that Russia was preparing “a group” to invade Ukraine.

The problem has set off alarm bells among Ukraine's allies. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis called it a “major escalation of war” in an interview with CNN's Isa Soares on Thursday. “It's no longer regional, it's no longer just European – it's a global conflict and it affects everyone,” Landsbergis said.

The Russian president did not deny the presence of North Korean troops when asked about the issue on Thursday.

Asked by journalists about reports that North Korea was sending troops to fight in Russia's war against Ukraine, Putin said his country was “in contact” with Pyongyang.

“We have never doubted that the North Korean leadership takes our agreements seriously,” he said at a news conference in Kazan, Russia. “But what we do and how we do it is our business.”

Russia and North Korea, both pariahs in the West, have forged increasingly friendly relations since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In June, the two nations signed a groundbreaking defense pact, pledging to use all available means to provide immediate military assistance in the event of an attack by the other country.

North Korea has also been repeatedly accused of supplying weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine – an accusation both countries have denied despite substantial evidence of such transfers.

The arms shipments, which include thousands of tons of ammunition, have helped Russia replenish its dwindling supplies in a war in which Ukraine's armed forces have long been outgunned and manned. Meanwhile, financially strapped North Korea is believed to have received food and other essentials in exchange.