Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Latin Times
Latin Times
Politics
Mateo Moreno

North Koreans, 25,000 of Them, Are Building Russia's Drones — And Funding Kim's Nukes

Shaman, the 19-year-old drone operator, flies a quadcopter drone during a demonstration event organized by members of the "Berkut Military-Sports Cossack Club" in a shopping centre in Voronezh on January 24, 2026. (Credit: Photo by TATYANA MAKEYEVA / AFP via Getty Images)

  • A UN-backed multilateral sanctions body estimates that up to 25,000 North Koreans are assembling military drones at Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan—brought in under fraudulent student visas specifically designed to circumvent international sanctions.
  • Russia issued more than 36,400 visas to North Korean nationals in 2025; over 35,800 of those were student visas, masking weapons assembly as academic training.
  • North Korea's overseas labor network generated between $450 million and $800 million in 2025, with funds channeled directly into the Kim regime's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.