North Koreans Are Being En mass to Work in Drone Production in Russia — Bloomberg

Up to 25,000 North Korean citizens are working in Russia in drone manufacturing, despite a UN ban. They are involved, in particular, in the production of drones that Russia is using in the war against Ukraine. 

According to researchers, some North Korean citizens are working in the “Alabuga” special economic zone in Tatarstan. There, they are involved in assembling drones based on the Iranian Shahed model.

To circumvent international sanctions, North Korean workers are registered as students. On average, they earn about $7,500 a year, but the North Korean government takes a significant portion of their earnings. In some cases, the amount taken even exceeds the workers’ earnings.

The North Korean government also strictly controls the movements of its citizens in Russia and their contacts with foreigners. Workers who attempt to flee may face reprisals against their relatives who remain in North Korea.

According to MSMT estimates, by the end of 2025, there were between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers in Russia and between 20,000 and 70,000 in China. At the same time, Moscow is a more attractive destination for North Koreans, as wages there can be five times higher than in Beijing.

This is stated in a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), excerpts of which were published by Bloomberg.

North Korea may send up to 50,000 military personnel to Russia.

Russia may deploy North Korean troops to the north of Sumy Oblast, according to the ISW.

The ISW had previously documented units from this regiment in various sectors of the front in northern Ukraine.

Prior to this, Russia launched missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia, resulting in casualties.

Earlier, Russia struck Odesa and damaged a high-rise building.