25,000 North Koreans Working in Russian Drone Production, Ukraine Intelligence Says

Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) has reported that approximately 25,000 North Korean workers have been deployed to Russia specifically to support drone production. The revelation underscores the deepening military-industrial cooperation between Pyongyang and Moscow.

Scale of Cooperation

The North Korean workers are reportedly involved in manufacturing components and assembling drones at Russian facilities. This arrangement gives Russia a significant boost in drone production capacity at a time when battlefield demand for unmanned systems is extremely high.

Broader North Korea-Russia Ties

North Korea has already been supplying Russia with artillery shells and ballistic missiles. The deployment of workers to drone factories represents a further deepening of cooperation. Western intelligence agencies and Ukrainian officials have repeatedly raised concerns about the Pyongyang-Moscow axis contributing to prolonging the conflict.