Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to confirm that North Korean troops are in Russia, amid concerns that soldiers had been sent for possible deployment to Ukraine. The Russian president addressed satellite images released by South Korea's intelligence service which purportedly showed the soldiers in Russian territory.

The first group of North Korean soldiers have been spotted in Russia’s Kursk region, an area of ongoing military operations, Ukraine’s military intelligence service announced Thursday.

President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that it was Russia's business whether or not it decided to use North Korean troops and said that if Ukraine wanted to join NATO then Moscow could do what it wanted to ensure its own security.