Videos appear to show North Korean troops in Russia

Kyiv claims some of the troops are in Kursk region, where Ukraine is holding territory

"Here they are. The boys from North Korea." That is how a male voice describes what appears to be a group of soldiers filmed in a video geolocated by The New York Times to a military training site in the Russian Far East village of Sergeyevka, in the district of Primorsky Krai. The person filming the video then walks towards the crowd, which is gathered near the entrance of a green-and-white building.

In recent days, videos have been circulating on social media that appear to show North Korean troops in Russia.

For weeks, South Korea and Ukraine have been saying North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dispatched troops to help with Moscow's war effort in Ukraine.

The United States publicly agreed with that assessment on Oct. 23, saying that Pyongyang had moved at least 3,000 soldiers to several training camps in the Russian Far East, not far from the North Korean border. Even Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared to acknowledge the presence of North Korean forces in his country.

On Oct. 24, Ukraine claimed 12,000 North Korean troops were now in Russia, adding that some had arrived in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has held territory since staging an incursion in August.