North Korea’s earnings from the war against Ukraine calculated
North Korea may have received significant financial and technological compensation from Russia for supplying weapons and sending military personnel to the war in Ukraine.
According to a study by the South Korean Institute for National Security, the total benefit from August 2023 to December 2025 is estimated between $7.67 billion and $14.4 billion, reports Yonhap. Most of these funds are linked to the payment for millions of artillery shells and ballistic missiles that Russia uses to shell Ukrainian cities.
In addition to arms exports, Pyongyang receives direct foreign currency income from deploying its troops on Russian territory. As of March 2026, the total number of North Korean soldiers involved has exceeded 20,000, and the regime’s annual income solely from providing manpower is estimated at $560 million. Researchers note that about 80% of the compensation Pyongyang expects to receive will be in the form of confidential military technologies, particularly for upgrading its missile-nuclear program and air defense systems.
Such large inflows of “hard currency” and technology almost nullify the effect of international sanctions meant to limit North Korea’s military potential. While Russia helps Kim Jong Un bypass financial isolation, North Korea is turning the war in Ukraine into a testing ground for its weapons and a source for major modernization of its army. This creates new security challenges not only for Europe but for the entire Asia-Pacific region due to the strengthening of Pyongyang’s military capabilities.
Medical facilities in Moscow have reported the first cases of North Korean doctors working there, indicating Russia’s attempts to address the acute workforce shortage in its healthcare system by using labor from Pyongyang.
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun stated that Ukraine has assured him that two North Korean soldiers captured by Ukrainian forces will not be returned to Russia.
