"There are a lot of reports of North Korean troop dispatch and conflicting information..."We don't target third countries for cooperation with North Korea."

Moscow declined to directly respond to reports that North Korea had sent troops to support Russian forces, but said it was Moscow's sovereign right to develop ties with the North in all areas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a briefing on the 21st local time that "there is a lot of conflicting information" regarding North Korea's dispatch of Russian troops.

Asked whether the North Korean military would participate in the operation, Peskov declined to give a direct answer to the fact-checking, saying, "We should ask the Ministry of Defense about carrying out special military operations."

Regarding relations with North Korea, he also said, "North Korea is developing relations in all fields as Russia's closest neighbor and partner," adding, "This is Russia's sovereign right."

"There is no need to worry because cooperation with North Korea is not aimed at a third country," Peskov said. "We will further develop cooperation with North Korea."

Earlier, the National Intelligence Service announced on the 18th that North Korea has decided to send troops to support Russian forces and 1,500 troops are training in the Russian Far East.U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin
said on Wednesday that he could not confirm the report, but that he was concerned if it was true.