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North Korean labor in Russian military production

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2026-09-21 13:00 UTC → 2026-09-22 09:54 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Reports from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) indicate that North Korea is deploying large numbers of laborers to Russia to support military production, specifically targeting drone manufacturing. Estimates suggest between 12,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers are stationed in Russia, with a significant concentration at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan. To circumvent international sanctions, Russia has reportedly utilized a student visa workaround. In 2025, Russia issued over 35,000 student visas to North Korean nationals, a sharp increase from previous years, despite the fact that no official work visas have been issued to North Koreans since 2020. Investigators suggest these visas mask professional industrial activity. The cooperation has evolved from the assembly of imported kits to the indigenous manufacturing of airframes, engines, and electronics for Geran-series attack drones. This industrial support represents an expansion of the alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang. Recent reports indicate that North Korean forced laborers are being integrated into Russian production lines to address labor shortages. South Korean officials have noted that North Korean citizens are also employed at factories belonging to the Russian e-commerce company Wildberries. Some of these sites were targeted by Ukrainian drone strikes earlier this summer, resulting in at least nine deaths. ~~Evidence of continued employment at these locations includes job postings for Korean language interpreters.~~ This labor deployment follows North Korea’s provision of missiles, ammunition, and tens of thousands of soldiers to support Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has stated that North Korea has sent up to 50,000 soldiers to fight alongside Russian troops since the conflict began. Further developments indicate that Pyongyang has supplied over 15 million artillery shells and ballistic missiles to Moscow since mid-2023, generating an estimated 8.7 billion euros for North Korea by the end of 2025. South Korean intelligence reports that North Korea has deployed over 16,000 soldiers to Russia since October 2024.

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