ThePrint ·
Russia making North Koreans ‘disguised as students’ build drones for war with Ukraine—sanctions watchdog
MSMT was set up to report violations of UN sanctions on North Korea. In 2017, UNSC made it unlawful for UN member states to allow North Koreans to earn income in their jurisdictions.
New Delhi: Russia is using thousands of North Koreans as workers in its drone manufacturing industry, including in facilities making unmanned aerial vehicles for use in the war against Ukraine, according to a report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT).
The report released on September 16 showed the number of North Koreans working in Russia’s drone industry reached up to 25,000. Some workers were reportedly hired at facilities in Alabuga, Tatarstan region, where drones are kept.
“In 2025, Russia completed construction of a vast housing complex at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to house foreign workers, including reportedly workers from the DPRK.136 In early 2025, a Russian arms dealer sought DPRK nationals for unspecified labour purposes in Russia,” the report said.