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

A Russian court has fined Google $2.5 decillion for allegedly blocking pro-Kremlin propaganda on YouTube.

The fine, which is the equivalent of $2.5 trillion trillion trillion, is the result of four years of accumulated fines, with the figure currently doubling every week under Russian law.

The original penalty of 100,000 rubles was handed to the US tech giant in 2020 after the media outlets Tsargrad and RIA FAN won lawsuits related to restrictions on their YouTube channels.

Anthony Cuthbertson reports:

The US expects North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region to enter the fight against Ukraine in the coming days, US secretary of state Antony Blinken said.

There are 10,000 North Korean troops in Russia, including as many as 8,000 in the Kursk region, the top US diplomat said. Ukrainian forces continue to hold territory in Kursk after fighting their way into the Russian border area in August.

At a press conference with defence secretary Lloyd Austin and their South Korean counterparts, Mr Blinken said Russia has been training the North Korean soldiers in artillery, unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, and basic infantry operations, indicating they “fully intend” to use the forces in frontline operations.

They would become legitimate military targets if they enter the battlefield, he said.

“We’ve not yet seen these troops deploy into combat against Ukrainian forces, but we would expect that to happen in the coming days,” he said.

During their meeting, the US and South Korea discussed a range of options for responding, Mr Blinken added, saying Moscow’s use of North Korean soldiers in its “meat grinder” war against Ukraine was a “clear sign of weakness.”

At least three, including a child and a teenager, were killed on a Russian-guided bomb strike on Kharkiv.

The death toll was confirmed yesterday after rescue teams completed recovery operations at a high-rise residence in the northeastern Ukrainian city.

Emergency services said children aged 12 and 15 were among the dead in the Wednesday evening strike, and thirty-six people were injured.

Kharkiv region governor Oleh Syniehubov earlier said that one of the children had been pulled from under rubble with head wounds and fractures, but medics were unable to save him.

Mr Syniehubov said the strike had triggered a fire and destroyed most of one entrance, making a huge hole in the building.

Kharkiv remained in Ukrainian hands through the initial failed advance of Russian forces on the capital Kyiv in the early days of the February 2022 invasion. It has since become a frequent target of Russian air attacks.

Kremlin dismisses report about Russia-Ukraine talks on halting strikes on energy facilities

The Kremlin has dismissed a report that Russia and Ukraine are in the early stages of negotiations about potentially halting airstrikes on each other’s energy facilities.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that there were many reports out there “which have nothing to do with reality”.

The Financial Times, citing sources who it said included senior Ukrainian officials, reported that Ukraine was seeking to resume talks that had come close to an agreement in August and were mediated by Qatar.

Russia says it takes control of village of Kruhliakivka in eastern Ukraine, state news agency reports

Russian forces have taken control of the settlement of Kruhliakivka in eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, the RIA news agency cited Russia’s Defence Ministry as saying on Wednesday.

The battlefield report from the Russian state-owned news agency could not be independently verified.

The thousands of young soldiers North Korea has sent to Russia, reportedly to help fight against Ukraine, are mostly elite special forces, but that hasn’t stopped speculation they’ll be slaughtered because they have no combat experience, no familiarity with the terrain and will likely be dropped onto the most ferocious battlefields.

That may be true, and soon. Observers say the troops are already arriving at the front. From the North Korean perspective, however, these soldiers might not be as miserable as outsiders think. They may, in fact, view their Russian tour with pride and as a rare chance to make good money, see a foreign country for the first time, and win preferred treatment for their families back home, according to former North Korean soldiers.

“They are too young and won’t understand exactly what it means. They’ll just consider it an honor to be selected as the ones to go to Russia among the many North Korean soldiers,” said Lee Woong-gil, a former member of the same special forces unit, the Storm Corps. He came to South Korea in 2007. “But I think most of them won’t likely come back home alive.”

Hyung-Jin Kim reports:

North Korea sent about 10,000 troops to Russia who could join Moscow‘s fight in Ukraine in the “next several weeks”, the Pentagon said amid rising concerns over Pyongyong’s involvement in Vladimir Putin’s war.

The soldiers were believed to be heading for the border region of Kursk, where Moscow recently suffered defeats and has been struggling to push back Ukrainian troops, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Sigh said on Monday.

On Tuesday, South Korean lawmakers, briefed by the country’s spy agency, said some high-ranking North Korean military officials and troops deployed to Russia might move to the frontline.

Ukrainian forces have pushed into Toretsk recently, a US war think tank has said.

Meanwhile, Russian forces have advanced near Kupyansk, Pokrovsk, Kurakhove, and southwest of Donetsk City, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said on Wednesday.

A large explosion was reported in the port area of Russian-occupied Berdyansk.

Petro Andriushchenko, Advisor to the Mayor of Mariupol, said on Telegram: “Our drones have been attacking Berdyansk since six in the morning.

“The main one hits in the port area. Smoke from a large fire is visible above the port with a large number of ambulances and firemen.

“In addition, the local occupation administration, almost for the first time, acknowledged the hit, reporting an attack on the premises of the administration itself in the city

“In addition, the electricity supply has disappeared in some areas, and the work of official budget bodies has been canceled.

“Finally, good morning from the occupation.”

Viktor Dudukalov, deputy chairman of the Berdiansk District Council, told Espreso TV that at least six hits were counted in the city.

“Since 6am today, we [in Berdiansk] have been facing a very tense situation with Russian air defense. At least six hits have been counted, primarily in the port area.

“There is smoke, ambulances are on the scene, and certain streets in the city center leading to the port are blocked.

“The occupiers claim that everything is fine and under control, yet they have decided to take today off and are urging everyone to stay at home, despite ‘everything being under control’.”