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North Korea has earned up to $14 billion over the three years of the war in Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons and military personnel

North Korea has earned up to $14 billion over the three years of the war in Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons and military personnel

11 May 2026, 19:30

North Korea has earned up to $14 billion over the three years of the war in Ukraine by supplying Russia with weapons and military personnel — North Korea

By sending troops and supplying weapons to Russia for the war against Ukraine, North Korea has earned up to $14 billion over the past three years.

This is reported by Nikkei, citing a research institute affiliated with South Korea’s National Intelligence Service.

According to the Bank of Korea, the DPRK’s economy grew by 3.7% in 2024 – the highest rate in eight years. Following this, the country’s GDP stood at approximately $26.6 billion.

Around 10,000 North Korean special forces soldiers are fighting on the front line in Ukraine, along with thousands of engineers and hundreds of drone operators. There are plans to send a further 30,000 soldiers. North Korean fighters receive around $2,000 a month, and the families of those killed can count on financial payments and elite housing in Pyongyang.

In addition, the DPRK has supplied Russia with KN-23 ballistic missiles, artillery shells and rocket artillery. In exchange for military aid, North Korea has received foreign currency, energy resources, food and military technology from Russia. This, in turn, undermines the effectiveness of the global economic sanctions imposed on the DPRK in 2016 due to nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches.

“An increase in military supplies to Russia could lead to long-term changes in North Korea’s industrial structure and technological capabilities,” warned Nam Jin-wook, a researcher at the Korea Development Institute.

The rapid growth of the defence industry and improved energy supplies are already having a positive impact on the lives of residents in the North Korean capital. Eyewitnesses note that in 2025, the number of luxury cars on the streets of Pyongyang has increased significantly compared to previous years. Japan and South Korea also used wartime demand as an engine of economic growth after the Second World War.

As a reminder, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un previously called on young people to prepare for war in Ukraine.

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