Up to 25,000 North Koreans in Russia are assembling drones for strikes on Ukraine – media

Up to 25,000 North Koreans work in Russia, including assembling drones used by Russian forces to attack Ukraine. Some of them work in Tatarstan, where they produce drones based on Iranian Shaheds.

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

The North Koreans work, in particular, in the Alabuga special economic zone. It is there that Russia assembles attack drones, which it then uses in the war against Ukraine.

At the same time, North Koreans are officially registered as students. This way, Russia and North Korea circumvent UN sanctions that prohibit hiring workers from North Korea.

On average, they earn about $7,500 a year, but most of the money is taken by the North Korean government. In some cases, workers are even asked to pay more than they earn.

North Koreans in Russia are also tightly controlled: their movement and communication with foreigners are restricted. If someone tries to escape, the North Korean authorities can punish their relatives who stayed back at home.

According to MSMT, there were between 15,000 and 30,000 North Korean workers in Russia at the end of 2025. Another 20,000 to 70,000 worked in China.

Russia is more advantageous for Pyongyang because of higher salaries. North Koreans there can earn about five times more than in China.