By the end of 2025, Russia plans to involve around 12,000 North Korean workers at enterprises in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense reports.
“Alabuga is where long-range drones of the Shahed/Geran type are manufactured, which the Russian army uses to carry out terrorist strikes on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure. To discuss the details of labor procurement, at the end of October, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a meeting between local officials and representatives of the North Korean company Jihyang Technology Trade Company, responsible for recruiting Korean workers,” the report stated on Telegram.
The imported workforce is promised about $2.5 per hour, with shifts lasting at least 12 hours.
“These measures indicate a deepening of strategic cooperation between the two dictatorships to continue the aggressive war against Ukraine,” the Main Intelligence Directorate noted
