Russia Using North Korean Laborers on Student Visas to Illicitly Build Drones, Report Says
Up to 25,000 North Koreans were believed to work in Russia’s drone industry, and the report said they could earn the regime $800 million in 2025.
- On Wednesday, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team reported Russia is mobilizing up to 25,000 North Korean workers to assemble drones at facilities in Alabuga, Tatarstan, for use against Ukraine.
- This 11-nation monitoring team, formed after a 2024 Russian veto ended a United Nations panel, revealed North Korean laborers abroad earned up to $800 million for the Kim Jong-un regime in 2025.
- Approximately 15,000 to 30,000 laborers were in Russia at the end of 2025, compared to 20,000 to 70,000 in China, with authorities exercising extreme control to prevent defections and reprisals against family members.
- Workers enter Russia disguised as students to evade sanctions, with monthly wages often confiscated by the regime; in some cases, the forfeited amount exceeds their actual earnings, the report said.
- These activities violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, as Pyongyang continues mobilizing labor to finance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs despite ongoing international monitoring efforts.
37 Articles
37 Articles
Up to 25,000 North Koreans may be working in drone factories in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia, where the Geran-2 type devices used in the war in Ukraine are also manufactured, according to a new report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team. According to the document, Russia may employ a total of 15,000-30,000 North Korean workers, who are affiliated with about 70-80 North Korean companies.
Up to 25,000 North Koreans may be making military drones in Russia. Sanctions monitors say they enter on student visas.
As many as 25,000 North Korean citizens may be working in military drone production in Russia, including at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, according to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), which includes the United States, South Korea, Japan, and eight other countries.
Russia is increasingly using workers from North Korea to produce drones used in the war against Ukraine, despite international sanctions. This provides North Korea with an important source of revenue to fund its illegal weapons development programs.
Thousands of North Koreans work in Russian drone factories, according to a report. Officially students, they generate revenues for Pyongyang, potentially used for its nuclear programs.
The cooperation between Russia and North Korea is said to have taken a new form. According to an international team, Pyongyang has sent up to 25,000 workers to Russia to build drones there. The Kim regime also benefits enormously from this.
Russia using North Korean laborers on student visas to illicitly build drones, report says
According to the Sept. 16 report, Russia “created a student visa scheme to camouflage North Korean laborers as students,” generating revenue for Pyongyang’s “unlawful weapons programs.”
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 43% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
