North Korean troops in Russia are ‘fair game’ if deployed to fight in Ukraine, US says

The US has said for the first time that it has seen evidence that North Korea has sent 3,000 troops to Russia for possible deployment in Ukraine, a move that could mark a significant escalation in Russia’s war against its neighbour.US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said it would be “very, very serious” if the North Koreans were preparing to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine, as Kyiv has alleged. But he said it remained to be seen what they would be doing there.“There is evidence that there are DPRK troops in Russia,” Austin told reporters on Wednesday, using North Korea’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.Speaking to reporters later on Wednesday White House spokesperson John Kirby said the US believes at least 3,000 North Korean troops are undergoing training in Russia.The US determined the North Korean soldiers were transported by ship in early-to-mid October from North Korea’s Wonsan region to the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok before…