North Korea has intensified its cooperation with Russia by deploying thousands of workers to support the Russian economy amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. This summer, reports emerged that many of these workers, including numerous women, have been stationed in factories and warehouses that have become targets of Ukrainian drone strikes.

Several warehouses owned by Wildberries, Russia’s largest e-commerce company, were struck in long-range attacks attributed to Ukraine. South Korean officials analyzing footage from one of the bombed sites identified North Korean women among the employees. The Russian government confirmed that at least nine people died in the strikes, and most of the company’s largest warehouses are now nonoperational, though it did not disclose the victims’ nationalities. Despite the attacks, a Russian job listing seeking Korean-language interpreters for Wildberries warehouses appeared in August, indicating that North Korean labor will continue to play a role in the company’s operations. Wildberries declined to comment on the matter.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long supported Russia’s military efforts with missiles and troops, and sending workers is another avenue through which he aims to both finance his regime and strengthen ties with Moscow. Analysts note that Kim appears more focused on the financial benefits than the safety of the workers. Peter Ward, a research fellow at the Sejong Institute in Seoul, commented that financial gain is the primary motivation behind deploying North Korean labor to Russia despite the risks.

Although North Korea has not disclosed how many of its approximately 15,000 soldiers sent to Russia have returned, a memorial ceremony in Pyongyang in March honored hundreds of fallen North Korean soldiers. In addition to labor contributions, some North Koreans are directly involved in the war effort by working in factories producing drones for Russia, according to the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), an international body tracking North Korean sanctions violations.

Relations between the two countries have been further solidified with the recent inauguration of a road bridge over the Tumen River, connecting them for the first time by road. The bridge, capable of handling up to 300 vehicles and 2,300 people daily, symbolizes growing economic and strategic cooperation. For North Korea, closer ties with Russia offer a counterbalance to its traditional dependence on China and help diversify its foreign alliances.

From the Russian perspective, North Korean labor helps mitigate a growing workforce shortage exacerbated by the war and a rise in nationalism. Russia’s labor ministry projects a need for nearly 11 million new workers by 2030. Historically reliant on migrant labor from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, Russia has seen those labor pools diminish as some migrants seek to avoid military conscription.

Estimates from the MSMT suggest between 15,000 and 30,000 North Koreans work in Russia, earning about $7,500 annually—significantly higher than North Koreans earn in China. Despite this, North Korean overseas laborers reportedly remit up to 90% of their earnings to the Pyongyang regime, generating as much as $800 million last year to support North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

North Korean workers typically reside in dormitories adjacent to their workplaces. Alisa Svitova, a 21-year-old interpreter who recently worked with North Korean laborers in Russian agricultural factories, noted that many of these workers view their labor as aiding Russia and strengthening bilateral relations.

Russian consular data indicate a sharp rise in visas issued to North Koreans, with over 36,000 granted last year—four times the number issued in 2024. Most were education visas, which analysts believe Russia uses to circumvent United Nations sanctions prohibiting North Korean regime workers from earning income abroad.