How? To begin with, with the arrival of thousands of North Koreans.
Drones, workers, and an alliance. The strategic alliance between Russia and North Korea has ceased to be marginal cooperation and has become a structural axis with direct implications for the evolution of the war in Ukraine and the security architecture of East Asia.
According to diplomatic sources cited in Japanese and Western media, Pyongyang has begun to send an army of up to 25,000 workers to the special economic zone of Alabuga, in the Russian republic of Tatarstan. The goal: to massively support the industrial production of Iranian-origin Shahed drones, used by Moscow as the main weapon for saturation and attack in Ukraine.
But there's more. This collaboration also includes the transfer of operational knowledge, training in the use of unmanned systems, and a component of assistance for reconstruction in combat zones, such as Kursk, which has suffered significant damage since the Ukrainian offensive in August 2024.
The arrival of North Korean personnel not only represents a solution to the growing shortage of skilled labor in Russia but also helps to consolidate a political and military axis based on converging interests against the West.
Mass kamikazes. The Alabuga factory, the epicenter of the Russian Shahed drone program, currently produces about 2,000 units per month with the aim of reaching 5,000 thanks to this new workforce. In fact, satellites have detected a huge expansion in the industrial zone, with the construction of collective dormitories designed to house hundreds of workers, following an intensive and permanent occupation architecture.
The logistical reinforcement aims to ensure the continuity of production even under direct threat, as the plant has repeatedly suffered attacks from Ukrainian drones, as occurred on June 15 with an Aeroprakt A-22 loaded with explosives towing a glider, a tactic unprecedented until then and capable of attacking two targets simultaneously.
A key drone. Russia's need to maintain pressure on Ukrainian defenses has made the Shahed drones the backbone of its aerial offensive. We've mentioned it before: these vehicles are modified to carry larger explosive payloads and, in some cases, elements of autonomy that make them harder to intercept.
The massive use (with attacks reaching over a hundred drones per night) forces Ukraine to rapidly consume its air defense ammunition reserves, progressively weakening its defense and reaction capacity.
Rebuilding with military logic. The deployment of North Korean workers is not limited to weapon production. After his visit to Pyongyang, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu confirmed the incorporation of about 1,000 North Korean sapper soldiers and at least 5,000 civilian workers who will participate in the reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure in Kursk. This region, invaded by Ukrainian forces in August 2024 and recovered by Russia after weeks of combat, has been profoundly damaged.
Moscow considers its reconstruction essential both in terms of national morale and the logistical sustainability of the front. Not only that, analysts from TWZ noted that the initiative also responds to an internal logic: the Kremlin perceives Central Asian migrants as politically unstable and potentially vulnerable to recruitment by Western or Ukrainian intelligence services, which has driven the search for 'loyal migrants,' such as North Koreans.
A labor hybrid. According to Ukrainian General Kyrylo Budanov, some of these workers will end up signing contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense, constituting unofficial paramilitary units of Russian nationality but North Korean origin, marking a new step in the hybridization between foreign labor force and regular military structure.
Reverse technological transfer. This is another aspect to analyze. The alliance has an even deeper geopolitical dimension. According to Budanov, Russia is actively helping North Korea to improve the accuracy of its KN-23 ballistic missiles, modernize its long-range air-to-air missiles, and enhance the capabilities of its nuclear submarines, particularly regarding missile launches from submerged platforms.
Strategic evolution. In exchange for labor and logistical cooperation, Moscow is consolidating a North Korean offensive capability that could alter the military balance on the Korean Peninsula. In that sense, as we mentioned, Pyongyang is developing (with Russian assistance) the necessary infrastructure to produce local versions of the Shahed drones, which would equip Kim Jong-un's regime with an arsenal capable of, for example, saturating South Korea's air defenses through massive and simultaneous attacks.
This shift represents a strategic evolution for a country that until a few years ago operated on the fringes of the major global military production chains but is now emerging as a relevant actor in the asymmetric technological war.
Another world order. In short, the image of a giant factory where thousands of Russians and North Koreans come together on a Shahed drone assembly line elevates the Moscow-Pyongyang alliance to a new level. If you will, it marks the emergence of an authoritarian axis that is not only military but also economic and structural, which openly challenges the Western alliance system.
No doubt about it, if Russia manages to stabilize its front with mass-produced drones with North Korean help and simultaneously strengthens Pyongyang's strategic capabilities in Asia, the global security architecture will experience a dangerous mutation. This is no longer simply an exchange of resources for services, but the formation of a network of coordinated interests with a shared narrative against the United States, Europe, and its Asian allies.$BTC $XRP #FOMCMeeting
An army of 25,000 North Koreans is heading to Russia to manufacture drones.
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