Russia Uses North Korean Forced Labor Amid Massive Casualties
The Russian government is importing North Korean forced labor to sustain defense production as military casualties in Ukraine reach up to 2.1 million.
The Federal Government of Russia is utilizing illicit networks to import North Korean nationals on student visas to work in defense-industrial facilities to mitigate domestic labor shortages. An investigation by Global Rights Compliance found that these workers face harsh conditions, with their wages routed to the North Korean government to fund weapons programs.
This labor pipeline supports a broader strategic partnership in which North Korea has provided millions of artillery rounds and up to 15,000 military personnel to Russia. Approximately 10,000 of these North Korean combat troops are deployed in the Kursk region. The BBC identified 2,304 North Korean soldiers killed between 2024 and 2025.
These measures follow staggering Russian military losses in the invasion of Ukraine. A study by The Economist estimates Russian casualties between 1.4 million and 2.1 million personnel killed and wounded, with deaths ranging from 374,000 to 770,000. A separate BBC investigation specifically identified 285,023 individual Russian soldiers killed, though the organization noted this figure likely represents only 45–55% of actual fatalities.
