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Ukraine says Russia struck deal to help North produce kamikaze drones

Published: 10 Jun. 2025, 18:33 Updated: 10 Jun. 2025, 18:37

The Rodong Sinmun reported on June 5 that Kim Jong-un, right, met with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, during the Russian's visit to North Korea on June 4. [NEWS1]

Russia has struck a deal with North Korea to help Pyongyang produce Iranian-style kamikaze drones in return for North Korean troops to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

In an interview with The War Zone published Saturday, Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, said Russia plans to transfer drone production capabilities to North Korea, specifically referencing the Shahed series — a type the report called "the most prolific long-range aerial threat to Ukraine for years."

This marks the first time a Ukrainian official has publicly confirmed Russian support for North Korea’s drone manufacturing efforts.

Based on Ukrainian intelligence, Russia aims to scale up its drone production from 2,000 to as many as 5,000 units per month, a plan that includes outsourcing some of that production to North Korea.

The spy chief spoke of "agreements on the beginning of the creation of capabilities to produce UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles] of the Garpiya and Geran types on the territory of North Korea," denoting the Russian models that resemble Iran's the Shahed-136 drones, adding, "It will for sure bring changes in the military balance in the region between North Korea and South Korea."

Military analysts in South Korea have speculated since last year that Pyongyang has accelerated its drone production with Russian backing.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un oversaw a test of what appeared to be a loitering munition in November of last year and ordered the rapid establishment of a mass production system.

North Korean state media at the time released images of drones that closely resembled the Shahed-136, also known by its Russian designation Geran-2, further fueling suspicions of Russian technological assistance.

The unveiling of North Korea’s new kamikaze drones came only a year after it revealed its reconnaissance and attack UAVs — the Saetbyol-4 and Saetbyol-9 — in July 2023, suggesting an unusually fast timeline for operational deployment.

The Rodong Sinmun reported on June 5 that Kim Jong-un met with Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, during the Russian's visit to North Korea on June 4. [YONHAP]

Budanov also addressed the KN-23, a North Korean short-range ballistic missile.

"I told you before about the KN-23 ballistic missiles," he said. "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."

His comments echo a recent report by the UN’s Panel of Experts on North Korea on sanctions monitoring, which said in late May that Russia provided North Korea with Pantsir air defense systems capable of intercepting drones.

Budanov also claimed that Russia is helping North Korea overcome technical difficulties in launching missiles from the sea.

"So let’s say they had huge problems with the carriers of these missiles and the firing from their sea component," he said. "And Russians are helping them with this."

His comments are an indication that Moscow is playing a role in Pyongyang’s efforts to stabilize its submarine-launched ballistic missile program and advance the development of nuclear-powered submarines.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE KEUN-PYUNG, LEE YU-JUNG [[email protected]]