Russia Uses North Korean Forced Labor to Sustain War Against Ukraine, Investigation Finds

A Russian recruitment network backed by North Korean officials is supplying workers to factories supporting Moscow’s war against Ukraine, using forced labor to sustain Russian production while channeling much of the workers’ earnings to Pyongyang, a new investigation published Thursday, Oct. 29, found. The investigation by The Hague-based human rights organization Global Rights Compliance (GRC) uncovered a network of Russian brokers bringing North Korean nationals into Russia on student visas to circumvent UN sanctions prohibiting their employment.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Some workers were placed at factories producing supplies for Russia’s military, including military food rations, according to the findings. Investigators documented workers facing 12-hour shifts, as few as two days off per month and threats of punishment against themselves or their families if they tried to escape. The findings expose another dimension of the growing partnership between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, whose government has already supplied Moscow with troops and ammunition for its war in Ukraine. North Korean workers recruited under false student arrangements The investigation identified a network linked to Moscow businessman Vladimir Sokolov and his Black Horse group of companies, which operates an online platform connecting Russian employers with North Korean workers. North Koreans entered Russia on student visas, ostensibly to enroll at educational institutions, before being assigned to employers. Other Topics of Interest Putin Calls Musk a ‘Genius,’ Claims Close Cooperation as Ukraine Faces Starlink Disruptions The Russian leader praised SpaceX’s satellite network and said Moscow remains in contact with Musk despite political differences. Brokers received commissions of up to 150,000 rubles ($1,860) per worker, according to the investigation. GRC researchers used publicly available records, facial recognition technology and undercover inquiries, posing as prospective employers to document how the operation functioned. The investigation also identified North Korean embassy officials in Moscow inspecting potential employment sites, indicating direct involvement by Pyongyang in arranging the placements. One advertisement assured prospective employers that workers would not attempt to flee. The network’s operations included placements at industrial production facilities, including a factory producing military rations used by Russian forces. Forced labor finances North Korea’s weapons programs The investigation found that much of the money paid for North Korean workers’ labor was diverted to the North Korean state rather than reaching the workers themselves. The arrangement benefits both governments: Russia gains access to a tightly controlled workforce as it struggles to sustain wartime production, while Pyongyang receives foreign currency that can support its weapons programs. GRC legal adviser Elise Lauriot Prevost said the findings exposed the convergence of two governments’ military interests, linking North Korea’s overseas forced-labor system to Russia’s growing wartime labor demands. Lead investigator Dyland Carter said workers received little, if any, of the money employers paid for their services, with the proceeds flowing instead to the North Korean government. The latest findings build on earlier GRC research published in March, which documented systematic exploitation of North Korean workers at Russian construction sites. Based on interviews with 21 workers across three Russian cities, that investigation found conditions including shifts of up to 16 hours, passport confiscation, physical abuse and mandatory payments to the North Korean government. Some workers reported earning as little as $10 per month, while others faced escalating state-imposed quotas that trapped them in debt. The researchers identified all 11 of the International Labour Organization’s indicators of forced labor in the workers’ testimonies. Moscow and Pyongyang deepen wartime partnership North Korea has become an important military partner for Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Pyongyang has supplied weapons and ammunition to Russian forces, while South Korean intelligence estimates that more than 10,000 North Korean troops have been deployed to fight alongside Russian forces since 2024. The two countries signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024 that includes mutual defense commitments. The forced-labor network shows how their cooperation extends beyond weapons transfers and battlefield operations to industrial production and financial support. The arrangement operates despite UN Security Council sanctions adopted in 2017, which prohibited member states from hiring North Korean workers abroad and required their repatriation by the end of 2019. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.