Russia ratifies North Korea pact after US says up to 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to Kursk WSOC TV [Video]

MOSCOW — (AP) — The upper house of Russian parliament on Wednesday ratified a treaty with North Korea envisioning mutual military assistance, a move that comes as the U.S. has confirmed the deployment of 10,000 North Korean troops to Russia.

The “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty,” which Russian President Vladimir Putin signed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on a visit to Pyongyang in June, obliges Russia and North Korea to immediately provide military assistance using “all means” if either is attacked. It marked the strongest link between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.

The pact’s endorsement by the upper house, the Federation Council, follows its ratification by the lower house, the State Duma, on Oct. 24.

On Monday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters that up to 10,000 North Korean soldiers were in Russia’s Kursk region and were preparing to join Moscow’s fight against Ukraine in the coming …