# Up to 25,000 North Koreans may be making military drones in Russia, sanctions monitors say

https://mins.news/en/item/63053

- Meduza, 2026-09-17 17:25 UTC
- World
- Original: https://meduza.io/en/news/2026/09/17/up-to-25-000-north-koreans-may-be-making-military-drones-in-russia-sanctions-monitors-say-they-enter-on-student-visas

> A Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team report says as many as 25,000 North Korean citizens may be producing military drones in Russia, including at the Alabuga special economic zone. It alleges they enter on student visas to circumvent U.N. sanctions, while earnings seized by North Korean authorities help fund the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

## Related coverage

- [Russia using North Korean laborers on student visas to illicitly build drones, report says](https://mins.news/en/item/62596) — The Kyiv Independent, 2026-09-17