In a move stirring up international intrigue, North Korea’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Russian Affairs, Kim Jong Gyu, commented on speculations of North Korean soldiers operating in Russia, stating that if true,

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — American and South Korean officials said Wednesday that there’s evidence North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia in a potential escalation of the nearly 3-year-old war with Ukraine.

North Korea said on Friday any move to send its troops to assist Russia in its war in Ukraine would be in line with international law, although it stopped short of confirming that such a deployment had taken place.