US expects thousands North Korean soldiers massed in Russia "soon" to go into battle against Ukraine, Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin said, quoted by AFP and BTA.
About 10,000 North Korean troops are believed to be stationed in the Russian border region of Kursk, Austin said, adding that there they are undergoing a process of "integration into Russian units".
"Judging by what they've been training for and the way they're integrating into Russian units, I fully expect to see them in combat soon,'' Austin told reporters during a stop in the Pacific island nation of Fiji. .
In his words, so far he has not seen "serious data" for the active participation of North Korean troops in the fighting.
On Thursday, South Korean government officials and a research organization said Russia had provided Pyongyang with oil, missile defense systems and economic aid in exchange for the troops Washington and Seoul accused North Korea of sending.
Kiev has warned that Moscow has assembled a 50,000-strong army, including North Korean troops, with the task of retaking parts of the border region seized by Ukrainian military forces.
Ukraine seized control of part of Kursk Oblast in a lightning offensive in August amid a depleted troop presence on the frontline in Donetsk Oblast, which has borne the brunt of nearly three years of fighting.