North Korea dispatched thousands of troops to Russia earlier this month, the U.S. announced on Wednesday, confirming the deployment for the first time amid concerns that the soldiers will support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We are seeing evidence that there are North Korean troops that have gone to … Russia,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a press briefing in Rome. “What exactly they are doing is left to be seen.”

Austin said Washington is still seeking clarity about Moscow and Pyongyang’s motivations for escalating military cooperation through troop deployments, but noted that this appears to be the