Russia helps North Korea start Shahed drone production – Ukraine's intel
Photo: Ukraine's Defense Intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Russia and North Korea have agreed to establish facilities to produce Shahed-136 attack drones on Korean territory. It is about the Garpiya and Geran modifications, which Russia actively uses in the war against Ukraine, says the head of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov in an interview with The War Zone.
The development of such production in the DPRK could change the military balance in the region, particularly between North and South Korea.
According to Budanov, it is not only the transfer of drones but also a large-scale transfer of Russian technology.
What the DPRK gets in return
In return for military assistance, Russia transfers technology to Pyongyang. These include the production of drones, the modernization of air-to-air missiles and submarine weapons systems.
According to Budanov, the improvement in the accuracy of North Korean KN-23 ballistic missiles is of particular concern.
“Initially, with the beginning of the transfer to Russia, they were flying with a deviation of a few kilometers, but now they are exactly hitting the target. This is the result of the common work of Russian and North Korean specialists,” the intel chief emphasized.
The intelligence also recorded joint work on missiles with nuclear capabilities. These are projects that can affect not only the situation in Ukraine but also global security.
Military cooperation between Russia and the DPRK
In June 2024, Russian president Vladimir Putin and his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership agreement in Pyongyang, which provides for mutual assistance in the event of aggression against one of the two countries.
After that, it became known that North Korean soldiers were sent to Russia for military training.
Russia confirmed that DPRK soldiers are fighting in the war against Ukraine after the Ukrainian military captured several soldiers in the Kursk region.
As part of the cooperation, North Korea provided Russia with weapons and missiles used to strike Ukrainian cities, as well as technologies for their modernization.
