Russian media have reported that residents have witnessed large military convoys traveling by train and road towards the border with the DPRK since last week. And a video emerged showing a train packed with heavy military equipment traveling toward Vladivostok, which is 160 kilometers from the border with the DPRK.
These reports came as tensions raged between the US and the DPRK.
However, the Russian military said on Friday it was not building up its forces near the border with the DPRK, contradicting earlier media reports, the Interfax news agency reported, citing an army spokesman.
"These are totally pre-planned military exercises, which are in no way related to political issues," Alexander Gordeyev, a spokesman for Russia's Eastern military district was quoted as saying.
He said the hardware that people had seen was being transported back to bases where it was permanently deployed after the end of the exercises.
In the meantime, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said on Friday that troop movements inside Russia are "not a public matter."
(Source: Reuters)
