Up to 25,000 North Koreans may build military drones in Russia, sanctions monitors say

The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team reports that up to 25,000 North Korean citizens may be working in Russian military drone production, including at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, entering on student visas. This indicates a deepening of North Korea-Russia defense cooperation, potentially violating UN sanctions. The scale and exact nature of the work remain unverified, but the report suggests a significant expansion of bilateral military-industrial integration.