Russian Caspian Sea Naval Base Hit By Ukrainian Drones

The Russian base on the Caspian Sea is 1500 miles from Ukraine, demonstrating the Ukrainian military's increasingly sophisticated attack drone capabilities. JL

Sofiia Syngaivska reports in Defense Express:

A recent attack on Russia’s Kaspiysk naval base on the Caspian Sea coast demonstrates Ukraine’s growing capabilities to launch long-range drone strikes. Footage reveals Ukrainian kamikaze drones, likely based on the A-22 light aircraft, targeting the heavily fortified base. Kaspiysk, located over 1,500 kilometers from Ukraine’s border, is a critical asset for Russia's military. Home to the Caspian Flotilla, it houses five corvettes equipped with the Kalibr cruise missiles, giving it a formidable missile launch capacity of up to 40 missiles. This recent strike appears to be a preventive measure aimed at reducing the threat of these missiles being used against Ukrainian targets.

In First Battle With Ukrainians, "Significant Number" Of North Koreans Killed

In their first battle with Ukrainian troops, North Koreans fighting on behalf of Russia were reported to have suffered a significant number of deaths. 

While not surprising given their lack of combat experience, it does raise questions about their ultimate utility as anything other than cannon fodder. JL

Michael Schwirtz and Julian Barnes report in the New York Times:

North Korean troops have clashed for the first time with Ukrainian forces who are occupying a large chunk of Russia’s Kursk region. The North Koreans fought together with Russia’s 810 Separate Naval Infantry Brigade. A significant number of North Korean troops were reported killed.  The North Korean troops, the official said, have been divided into two units — one made up of assault troops and another of support troops who will organize the defense of territory recaptured from Ukrainian forces.

Show Me the Money: Investors' AI Patience Is Wearing Thin

Even with a Trump electoral victory which promises to dramatically curtail regulation, investors are increasingly focused on what AI can do for them immediately, not in the distant future.

The issue appears to be that the gains for investors are intangible, while big tech concentration sucks up whatever increased value there may be - and long term financial benefits appear further from realization than ever. The difference between this and previous iterations of Silicon Valley driven hype is that returns could be imagined within a human time frame, whereas AI is proving to be more elusive than investors' imagined or are willing to tolerate. JL

Jackie Snow reports in Quartz:

Analysts are dubbing this the “show me the money” quarter, as patience with massive AI spending begins to wear and investors confront the mounting costs of Silicon Valley's AI ambitions. While companies reported significant gains from AI, their warnings about spending sparked growing anxiety about the costs. Tech leaders speak confidently about long-term returns (but) the market is increasingly focused on the short-term. Mounting infrastructure costs, combined with uncertain timelines for returns, are testing investors’ patience with a spend-now-profit-later approach. Goldman Sachs expressed concern that while AI has the potential for significant efficiency gains, costs associated with AI systems could outweigh the benefits. “We expect AI to transition from ‘tell me’ to a ‘show me’ 

Why Kim's North Korea Ukraine Troop Gamble Could Backfire

Kim is selling North Korean soldiers to Russia for hard currency, food and missile training. But in order to prevent defections, only soldiers from families deemed politically reliable have been sent. The problem is that the Koreans are likely to be used as cannon fodder by the Russians (who use their own troops that way), which will mean significant casualties. 

But since the families were not even initially told of the deployments and will receive little or none of the cash from Russia, the blowback from mass casualties in terms of popular resentment from loyal cadres could be destabilizing for the Kim regime. This will be exacerbated by the need for ever more troops since Russia wont make ongoing payments for the dead or wounded. JL

Bruce Bennett reports in The National Interest:

Kim is selling North Korean combat personnel to Russia for $2,000 each per month, which the regime is keeping. The problem is Kim is not sending personnel from unreliable families to Russia, fearing they would defect. He is sending soldiers from politically elite families (but) North Korean troops have no combat experience and are getting little preparation from Russia. If they are committed to mass assaults on the front line, that could be disastrous for the troops. The lack of  medical services and supplies will exacerbate the situation. Casualties will anger families that have been supportive of the regime. And Russia is unlikely to pay for soldiers who are dead or wounded, so Kim will need to send more troops to continue the flow of hard currency to his regime.  

G7 Foreign Ministers Call North Koreans In Ukraine a Sign of Russian Desperation

The ministers pointed out that the appearance of the North Koreans is evidence that Russia is unable to make up its increasingly horrific losses of troops, armor and artillery in Ukraine, having to rely on an impoverished and backward nation to stave off defeat. JL

Rachel Hagen and colleagues report in The Independent:

The Group of Seven has branded Russia’s deployment of thousands of North Korean troops into its fight with Ukraine as a “desperate effort” to replenish Moscow’s own losses as Kyiv reports the first combat clashes with Pyongyang’s soldiers. “The DPRK’s (North Korea) direct support for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, besides showing Russia’s desperate efforts to compensate its losses, would mark a dangerous expansion of the conflict.” The ministers condemned “in the strongest possible terms” Russia’s “unlawful procurement” of North Korean ballistic missiles.

North Korean Troops In Kursk Shelled By Ukrainians For First Time

Multiple sources are reporting that North Korean troops in Kursk oblast have been shelled by Ukrainian artillery and attacked by Ukrainian mechanized units.

The North Koreans are not believed to have any combat experience so their reaction to being under fire is being watched closely. JL

Illia Novikov reports in the AP via Time:

North Korean troops recently deployed in Kursk oblast to help Russia in its war with Ukraine have come under Ukrainian fire. The North Korean troops' fighting quality and battle experience is unknown. Western governments had expected that the North Korean soldiers would be sent to Russia’s Kursk border region, where a 3-month-old incursion by the Ukrainian army is the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II and has embarrassed the Kremlin.

How Nerdy Tech Gamers Became Ukraine's Deadliest Drone Pilots

Being an effective - and lethal - drone pilot is not about military bearing or muscle, it's about possessing the same skills that make tech wonders around the world: twitchy, often insubordinate, but extremely focused talent that loves the challenge of overcoming a deadly enemy - and winning. JL

James Marson reports in the Wall Street Journal:

Ukraine has increasingly relied on its nerds to hold back Russian armored and infantry assaults. Drone pilots are the deadliest soldiers on the modern battlefield, just as machine-gunners or snipers were in the last century. They can deliver the explosive power of a rocket-propelled grenade with the precision of a sniper, at the range of artillery. piloting drones demands quick thinking, sharp eyes and nimble thumbs, the kind of prowess more readily associated with computer games than military combat. They operate like edgy tech startups. The vast majority in drone units were never in the military before and largely ignore the service culture of ranks, including saluting or waiting for an order. “I’m a music producer and these guys are my f—ing boy bands,”