They are promised payment of about $2.50 per hour for a 12-hour workday.
The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported on Russia's plans to attract up to 12,000 North Korean workers for the assembly of strike drones at enterprises in the special economic zone "Alabuga" in Tatarstan. According to the intelligence agency, North Korean workers will be involved in the production of Shahed-type drones, which Russia uses to attack Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.
To discuss the details of the labor supply, according to the GUR, a meeting took place at the Russian Foreign Ministry at the end of October between Russian officials and representatives of the North Korean company Jihyang Technology Trade Company, which is engaged in the search and selection of Korean workers. The intelligence agency specified that North Korean workers are promised payment of about $2.50 per hour for a 12-hour workday. "Such measures indicate a deepening of strategic cooperation between the two dictatorships to continue the aggressive war against Ukraine," emphasized the GUR.
Earlier, Vadim Skibitsky, the deputy head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, reported a reduction in the supply of artillery shells from North Korea to Russia — after large deliveries in 2023–2024, the volumes in 2025 decreased by more than half due to the depletion of North Korean stocks. At the same time, according to the military leader, North Korea is increasing its own production of FPV drones and medium-range unmanned aerial vehicles.
In addition, Skibitsky stated that in 2025, Russia could produce up to 120,000 cheap glide bombs, including about 500 new long-range modifications.
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