A source in the administration of the Russian region of Chita on China's border said Kim's armoured train will travel across its region shortly.

The Chita rail link runs directly to China's Manchuria area and does not stretch to Russia's Far East from where Kim originally travelled after crossing the North Korean border on Saturday.

"He will be passing through our region," the Chita administration source told AFP. "He is not in China yet."

It was not clear whether Kim would stop in China or head directly home.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011