Russia has engaged up to 25,000 workers from North Korea in drone production for war against Ukraine
Up to 25,000 North Korean citizens may be involved in the production of drones in Russia that are being used in the war against Ukraine. Workers from North Korea are being sent, in particular, to the "Alabuga" special economic zone in Tatarstan, where attack drones based on Iranian Shahed models are being manufactured.
According to Censor.NET, citing Bloomberg, this is mentioned in a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).
According to the group, the recruitment of North Korean workers is taking place in violation of UN sanctions. To circumvent the restrictions, North Korean citizens are registered in Russia as students.
The average salary for these workers is about $7,500 per year, but the regime in Pyongyang takes a significant portion of their earnings. In some cases, according to researchers, the amount deducted may even exceed their earnings.
At the same time, the North Korean government strictly controls its citizens’ movements abroad and their contacts with foreigners. Workers who attempt to flee risk subjecting their relatives who remain in North Korea to repression.
According to MSMT estimates, there were between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers in Russia at the end of 2025. In China, their number ranged from 20,000 to 70,000. At the same time, Russia is a more attractive destination for Pyongyang because of higher wages.
In 2025, Russia issued more than 36,400 visas to North Korean citizens—nearly four times as many as the previous year. About 35,800 of them were student visas.
According to the group’s estimates, labor provided by North Korean citizens abroad could generate up to $800 million for Kim Jong Un’s regime in 2025. These revenues, the researchers note, help Pyongyang finance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, which also violate UN Security Council resolutions.
The MSMT brings together 11 countries, including the United States, South Korea, and Japan. The mechanism was established after Russia blocked the extension of the mandate of the UN panel of experts tasked with monitoring compliance with sanctions against North Korea in 2024.
- As previously reported by Censor.NET, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un stated that the DPRK intends to "expand and deepen" its cooperation with Russia. He also expressed confidence in Moscow’s "victory" in the war against Ukraine.
- Russia is trying to obtain new KN-30 ballistic missiles from North Korea, which the Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) describes as three times more powerful than the KN-23/24. Moscow is also asking Pyongyang to transfer a total of 120 ballistic missiles, six launchers, and to send up to 50,000 troops.
- The Main Intelligence Directorate stated that North Korea had sent a new military contingent of 8,500 troops to Russia.
- North Korea denied reports that it might send another 50,000 of its troops to Russia, as previously stated by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
