North Korean soldiers have begun fighting alongside Russian troops in the Kursk region, U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Pyongyang has sent around 12,000 troops to Russia in a bid to boost the ranks of Putin's army, which continues to suffer immense casualties.

Russia has amassed a large force of tens of thousands — including recently arrived North Korean troops — to carry out an assault on the Ukrainian positions in Russia’s Kursk region expected in the coming days,