MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin is sending troops and equipment to Russia’s border with North Korea over fears the US is preparing to attack Kim Jong-un.
According to local media reports, Putin fears there will be a huge exodus of North Korean refugees if the US President Donald Trump gives go ahead call to launch military action against Pyongyang.
It comes days after it emerged that China is also sending 150,000 soldiers to its southern frontier to cope with the tidal wave of North Koreans Beijing fears would flee across the border if war breaks out.
There have been concerns that if a conflict breaks out, Russia could face a humanitarian exodus from North Korea, says a report.
But Putin has been warned, too, that in the event of a US strike on Kim Jong-un’s nuclear facilities, contamination could swiftly reach Russia.
‘Railway trains loaded with military equipment moving towards Primorsky region via Khabarovsk have been noticed by locals,’ reported primemedia.ru in the Russian far East – linking the development to the North Korean crisis.
“The movement of military equipment by different means of transport to southern areas is being observed across Primorsky region over the past week,’ said military veteran Stanislva Sinitsyn.
“The movement of military equipment means that authorities of our country are keeping up with the situation – and take appropriate measures,” he added.
The naval port of Vladivostok – where Russia has huge military forces – is less than 100 miles from North Korea.
Expert on the repressive state, Konstantin Asmolov, said: ‘Should the US strike with missiles at North Korea’s nuclear facilities, a radioactive cloud will reach Vladivostok within two hours.’
Asmolov, from the Russian Far Eastern Institute, warned that in the event of full-scale war ‘hungry asylum seekers will flood into Russia.’
Russia on Wednesday blocked UN Security Council condemnation of Pyongyang’s latest missile test – even though China, which has a major frontier with North Korea had backed the strongly-worded statement put forward by the United States.
