Russia will assist North Korea in establishing the production of Shahed-type kamikaze drones on its territory.
This was stated by Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, in an interview with War Zone.
“There are agreements on the beginning of the creation of capabilities to produce UAVs of the Garpiya and Geran [the Russian version of Iranian Shahed-136 drones] types on the territory of North Korea. It will for sure bring changes in the military balance in the region between North Korea and South Korea,” Budanov said.
According to him, the deal includes the transfer of technology and manufacturing expertise for the Shahed drones that Russian forces use in nightly attacks on Ukraine.
Budanov believes this development could alter the military balance in the region between North and South Korea.
“But for now, they have only agreed to initiate the organization of this production on North Korean territory,” he added.
Russia attacks Ukraine nightly with Shahed drones and has significantly increased the number of UAVs used in recent weeks.
- On April 16, 2025, it was reported that North Korea had earned over $20 billion from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
- On April 26, Russia officially acknowledged for the first time the involvement of North Korean troops in the war against Ukraine, claiming they had shown “high professionalism.”
- On May 29, reports indicated that North Korea had supported Russian attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure. Since 2023, Pyongyang may have supplied Moscow with around 9 million munitions.
