North Koreans sent to Russia on fake student visas

A broker network is placing North Korean workers in Russian jobs using fraudulent student visas, according to a report released Thursday.

The investigation by Global Rights Compliance details how the scheme helps Pyongyang fund its missile development while keeping Russian employers compliant with local labor rules. The report identifies the operation as a state-sponsored program that generates an estimated $450 million to $800 million for North Korea annually.

The network, operated by Russian businessman Vladimir Sokolov through the platform KNDR.su, targets sectors including agriculture, construction, and IT. The platform charges prospective employers a commission of 100,000 to 150,000 roubles, or roughly $1,240 to $1,860, for each worker placed.

The timeline of the expansion is visible in visa data. Russia issued more than 36,000 visas to North Koreans in 2025, a fourfold increase over the previous year. Almost all of these documents were classified for educational purposes, despite the workers being placed in labor roles.

Investigators posing as employers spoke with Ruslan Zhukov, the operations director for Sokolov’s firm. Zhukov stated that workers were enrolled in colleges they did not attend to avoid the application of labor law. He also described work schedules of 12 hours a day, six days a week.

The arrangement circumvents a 2017 UN Security Council resolution that prohibits member states from hosting North Korean workers. The resolution aims to cut off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. Between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean workers were based overseas in 2025, according to an 11-country monitoring team.

Global Rights Compliance found that the network also supports Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. The report notes that Sokolov publicized at least two work sites with links to Moscow’s military-industrial complex. Zhukov rejected the findings in a statement, calling the allegations false and saying the matter concerns students sent for practical training under an intergovernmental agreement.

North Korea and Russia ratified a mutual defense treaty in 2024, deepening a relationship that has accelerated since Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Thousands of North Korean soldiers have fought alongside Russian troops in that conflict.