Russia has begun moving a number of troops and heavy military equipment into the area near the North Korean frontier, reflecting growing fear over the possibility of the United States unilaterally attacking North Korea and sparking a major war on the Korean Peninsula.

As with China, there is considerable concern in Russia that the US war would quickly become their problem, with North Korea’s struggling civilian population likely to try to flee en masse as soon as the military is tied up with a conflict, and both Russia and China are fearing a major influx.

Concerns that the US might attack North Korea have been growing for weeks, with the announced deployment of the USS Carl Vinson and its carrier strike group adding to the fears. The Carl Vinson is expected to arrive off the Korean coast next week.

The Trump Administration has been talking up imposing a military solution to North Korea for some time now, condemning diplomatic efforts as a failure, and insisting that the “armada” en route could be called on to “take care of” North Korea.