Ukraine-Russia live: Thousands of North Koreans in Putin’s ‘meat grinder’ war legitimate target, says Blinken

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has hailed what he described as close ties between the militaries and security services of Russia and North Korea, saying such ties make it possible for both countries to solve their security challenges.

Speaking at the start of talks in Moscow with his North Korean counterpart Choe Son Hui, he thanked Pyongyang for what he called its “principled position” on Ukraine amid claims by the US that 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to Russia, which Moscow has neither confirmed nor denied.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has told reporters he has “nothing to add to what has already been said” about assertions of North Korea sending thousands of troops to Russia to help in its war against Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Pyongyang had 10,000 troops in Russia, including 8,000 in its western Kursk region that he said were expected to go into combat against Ukraine in the coming days.

Russia has neither confirmed nor denied the presence of North Korean soldiers on its territory.

North Korea’s foreign minister Choe Son Hui has reportedly accused the United States and South Korea of plotting a nuclear strike against her country.

She did not provide evidence while making this assertion in a Moscow meeting with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, but claimed that such plotting took place during regular consultations between Washington and Seoul, Reuters reported.

Claiming the situation on the Korean Peninsula could become “explosive” any moment, Ms Choe told Mr Lavrov that the North needed to strengthen its nuclear arsenal and perfect its readiness to deliver a retaliatory nuclear strike if necessary, while pledging commitment to helping Russia win its war in Ukraine.

Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov plans to visit Malta in December – in what would mark his first visit to the EU since Russia invaded Ukraine – to take part in a meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), according to a report citing foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova.

Malta’s embassy to Russia told Russian outlet Vedomosti that the decision to hold the OSCE ministerial council meeting on the island on 5 and 6 December “applies to all members, including the Russian Federation”.

“OSCE delegations are regularly informed about the progress of preparations. Further practical details, including invitations, will be sent to all OSCE delegations in due course,” it said.

Ukrainian air defences destroyed 31 out of 48 drones launched overnight by Russia, Kyiv’s air force has said.

Another 14 drones were “locationally lost” and one out of three cruise missiles launched was also destroyed, the air force said.

A drone fell on an oil depot in Russia’s southern Stavropol region, local governor Vladimir Vladimirov has said, adding that there were no casualties.

It marks the second suspected Ukrainian attack in consecutive days on Russian fuel and energy targets, following a lull of around seven weeks since a fuel facility in Tula was attacked.

Baza Telegram channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, posted a CCTV video purportedly showing the attack on the oil depot. The footage showed that at least one of several fuel tanks was swiftly engulfed by a fireball.

On Thursday, several fuel and energy facilities were targeted in a Ukrainian drone attack on the central Russian region of Bashkortostan, home to Bashneft, a major oil company controlled by Russia’s leading oil producer, Rosneft .

The attacks come days after the Financial Times reported early-stage talks between Ukraine and Russia about potentially halting airstrikes on each other’s energy facilities. The Kremlin dismissed the report.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has said Russia is now relying on North Korean troops in the wake of heavy battlefield losses.

“They’re doing this because (Russian president Vladimir) Putin has lost a lot of troops,” Mr Austin said, adding that Moscow has a choice between mobilising more of its own forces or turning to others for help.

Mr Austin said Ukraine could hold on to Russian territory in Kursk, and that the number of North Korean troops pales in comparison to casualties Russian forces recently have been suffering – some 1,250 a day.

“I do believe that they can hold on to the territory, if they choose to do that. They do have options,” Austin said of Ukrainian troops.

Russia has had to shift some resources to the Kursk border region to respond to Ukraine’s offensive.

The deployment of up to 12,000 North Korean troops to Russia has become a key topic as US and South Korean leaders meet in Washington this week, fueling concerns that the presence of those soldiers will further destabilise the Asia-Pacific and broaden Moscow’s war on Ukraine.

As some of those troops moved closer to Ukraine this week from training sites in eastern Russia, the main questions revolve around what new military technologies North Korea might get from Russia in exchange for the deployment and whether it might lead other nations to send their own forces to fight in the war.

Russian air defences downed 83 Ukrainian drones overnight, the TASS news agency cited Russia’s defence ministry this morning.

South Korea has said it is considering sending a military team to Ukraine to monitor the expected deployment of North Korean troops on the frontlines by Russia.

North Korea has sent some 11,000 soldiers to Russia and over 3,000 of them have been moved close to the frontlines, Reuters quoted an unnamed South Korean official as saying.

The official said North Korea will gain military knowledge from its troops helping the Russian war effort which poses a military threat to South Korea. “So it is incumbent upon us to analyse and monitor the activities of North Korean troops against our ally, Ukraine,” the official added.