Japan’s Kyodo News says Russia has conducted an exercise in preparation for a mass inflow of refugees around the Russian border area with North Korea in Siberia.

Kyodo says that although Russia didn’t specifically state that it was conducting the exercise over concerns about potential refugees from North Korea, the news outlet assumed the drill was held based on recent developments in the situation on the Korean Peninsula.

As part of the reported exercise, makeshift tents were erected and emergency health check procedures were reviewed.

The training was part of Russia’s “Vostok 2010” strategic military drills. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is also known to have observed the exercise onboard a warship near Vladivostok.