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Russia Plans to Bring In 12,000 North Korean Workers for Drone Factories by 2025, Paying $2.5 an Hour

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Photo of Vlad Litnarovych
Vlad Litnarovych
News Writer
Illustrative image. Students participate in a commemorative march near the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang on April 25, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)
Illustrative image. Students participate in a commemorative march near the Arch of Triumph in Pyongyang on April 25, 2025. (Source: Getty Images)

Russia is planning to recruit about 12,000 North Korean laborers to work at its drone production facilities by the end of 2025, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on November 14.

The workers are expected to be deployed to Alabuga, a special economic zone in the Russian republic of Tatarstan, where Moscow assembles Shahed- and Geran-type long-range attack drones used in strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

HUR reports that the plan was discussed in late October during a meeting between Russian officials and representatives of Jihyang Technology Trade Company, a North Korean state firm tasked with sourcing and recruiting workers for overseas assignments.

According to the intelligence report, Moscow has promised to pay the imported workforce around $2.50 an hour, with shifts lasting at least 12 hours a day.

Earlier, North Korea and Russia engaged in high-level discussions regarding methods to strengthen cooperation between their respective military-political organs.

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