KNDR.su brokers 36,000 North Korean workers in Russia under student cover

A Russian labor brokerage is placing North Korean workers in Russia using false student visas to bypass United Nations sanctions, according to a report by the Global Rights Compliance foundation released on Thursday.

The network, operated by businessman Vladimir Sokolov through the platform KNDR.su, recruits workers for jobs in agriculture, construction, industry, and IT. The company charges employers between 100,000 and 150,000 roubles, or $1,240 to $1,860, for each placement.

Investigators posed as prospective employers to gather evidence. During these conversations, Ruslan Zhukov, the operations director for Sokolov’s firm, stated that North Korean workers are enrolled in colleges they do not attend to avoid the application of labor law. Zhukov also told investigators that the workers are required to work 12 hours a day, six days a week.

The use of student visas allows the workers to enter Russia despite a 2017 UN Security Council resolution. That resolution prohibits member states from hosting North Korean workers to cut off funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs. In 2025, Russia issued more than 36,000 visas to North Koreans, a fourfold increase from the previous year. Nearly all of these visas were designated for educational purposes.

An 11-country team monitoring sanctions enforcement estimates that between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean workers were abroad in 2025. These workers generated an estimated $450 million to $800 million for the North Korean government. The report links the labor network to Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, noting that Sokolov promoted at least two work sites with connections to the Russian military-industrial complex.

Zhukov responded to the report by denying the allegations. He called the findings "false, fabricated, and categorically rejected in their entirety." In a statement, Zhukov described the arrangement as an intergovernmental agreement for educational and industrial practical training. He said the workers were students of a specialized college sent to Russia for exchange purposes.

Lara Strangways, head of business and human rights at Global Rights Compliance, said the system exploits workers to support both nations. She noted that the labor props up Russian industry while the revenue helps fund North Korea’s military program. Strangways added that governments need to understand the role forced labor plays in sustaining the deepening alliance between the two countries.