AT LEAST 3,000 North Korean troops are now inside Russia with US officials fearing they have been shipped in to help Putin fight his bloody war against Ukraine. Many more are yet to come as North Korea aims to deploy a total of 10,000 soldiers by the end of the year, reports claim. 11 Tyrant Putin and ruthless dictaoitor Kim Jong-un have been forging a close relationship to form an 'Axis of Evil' Credit: EPA 11 Worrying new video evidence shows North Korean troops in Russia being kitted out with military equipment before being sent to Kursk Credit: East2West 11 Rescuers work at a Ukrainian children’s hospital that was damaged during a Russian missile strikes Credit: Reuters 11 A handout from South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) shows what it claims to be North Korean troops were gathered at Russia's Ussuriysk military facility Credit: AFP 11 The US revealed on Wednesday that at least 3,000 soldiers have put their boots on Putin's land after Ukraine's military intelligence claimed North Korean troops were to help push back its forces.
And the US now appear to back this claim, with US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirming it's a "high concerning probability" the North Korean soldiers are there to fight. He warned: "After completing training, these soldiers could travel to western Russia and then engage in combat against the Ukrainian military." Earlier on Wednesday Defense Secretary Austin warned that if this were the case, it would be a "ve.