The Pentagon confirmed Tuesday that a “small number” of North Korean troops are in Russia’s Kursk region near the Ukrainian border, adding that several thousand additional soldiers are expected to arrive any time.

Last week, White House National Security Director John Kirby confirmed that North Korea moved at least 3,000 troops into eastern Russia between early and mid-October.

Now the Pentagon says about 10,000 North Korean troops have been sent to Russia and are preparing to be sent to the battle lines alongside Russian forces in their fight against Ukraine.

“We believe that the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) has sent a total of approximately 10,000 soldiers to train in eastern Russia, and that these troops are likely to reinforce Russian forces near Ukraine in the coming weeks,” said press secretary of the Pentagon, Major General. Pat Ryder told reporters during a news briefing on Tuesday. “Some of those soldiers have already moved closer to Ukraine, towards Russia’s Kursk Oblast, near the border with Ukraine.”

NORTH KOREA SENDS A WARNING TO SOUTH KOREA, SAYING TROOPS READY TO STRIKE IF MORE DRONES APPEAR

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at the Pyongyang Sunan International Airport outside Pyongyang, North Korea, June 19. (Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, file)

Ryder said the troops are among several thousand others already in the Kursk region, adding that the Department of Defense (DoD) is concerned that Russia plans to use the soldiers in combat or to support combat operations against Ukraine.

“There are indications that there are already a small number of North Korean troops actually in Kursk Oblast, and several thousand more that are almost there or will arrive soon,” he said.

The Pentagon could not yet confirm whether the North Korean soldiers were actually in Ukraine.

“Early indications are that these troops will be deployed in some infantry role,” Ryder reiterated. “But again, what that could be remains to be seen. So we’ll continue to monitor it closely.”

NORTH KOREA HAS SENT TROOPS TO RUSSIA, PENTAGON CONFIRMS

A tank and soldier on the move near Khasiv Yar, Ukraine, July 20, as Russian forces push into the outskirts of the area in the Donetsk region. (Ethan Swope/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Like the Department of Defense, President Biden expressed concern about North Korean soldiers preparing to fight Ukraine in Russia.

After talking about infrastructure in Baltimore on Tuesday, a reporter asked Biden if he was concerned about North Korean troops in Russia.

“I’m concerned about it, yes,” he said.

Biden was then asked whether the Ukrainians should strike back.

NORTH KOREA BLOWS UP PARTS OF INTER-KOREAN ROAD AND RAIL LINKS IN A SYMBOLIC SHOW OF ANGER

President Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy speak at the 2023 NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

“If they enter Ukraine, yes,” Biden said.

Intelligence officials in both South Korea and Ukraine had previously stated that North Korean troops were being transferred to Russia.

“What exactly are they doing? It remains to be seen. These are things we need to figure out,” Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

SOUTH KOREAN INTELLIGENCE SAYS NORTH HAS SENT TROOPS TO HELP RUSSIAN WAR IN UKRAINE

North Korean soldiers march in Pyongyang. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, File)

Russia and North Korea have denied the troop movements.

South Korean National Intelligence Director Cho Tae-yong told lawmakers that North Korea plans to send 10,000 troops to Russia by December, a number consistent with claims by Ukrainian intelligence.

South Korea said last week it may send weapons to Ukraine in response to the deployment. Officials said their response would come in phases depending on the depth of cooperation between Russia and North Korea.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

North Korea and Russia, locked in separate confrontations with the West, have greatly increased their cooperation in the past two years. The US, South Korea and their partners have accused North Korea of ​​supplying artillery shells, missiles and other conventional weapons to Russia to fuel the war against Ukraine in exchange for economic and military aid.

In June, Kim and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a pact establishing mutual military assistance if either country were attacked.

Anders Hagstrom and Greg Norman of Fox News Digital, as well as The Associated Press, contributed to this report.