SEOUL: Kyiv's defence intelligence agency has said Russia appears to have deployed more than 7,000 North Korean soldiers, armed with AK-12 rifles, mortar rounds and other assault weapons, to areas near the border with Ukraine.
South Korea and the West have warned that North Korean troops in Russia may soon enter into combat against Ukraine which would pose a major security threat to both Europe and the Indo-Pacific region, Yonhap news agency reported.
The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) said on Saturday (local time) that Russia moved more than 7,000 North Korean soldiers from Russia's coastal region to areas near Ukraine last week.
"The North Korean troops were moved to the frontline with the help of at least 28 military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces," the DIU said on its website.
Moscow armed the North Korean soldiers with Russian firearms, including 60-millimetre mortars, AK-12 rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, anti-tank guided missiles and anti-tank grenade launchers, and night vision equipment, the DIU said.
North Korean soldiers are now undergoing training at five different sites in Russia's Far East for potential support of Russia's war in Ukraine, it noted.