North Korea plans to begin mass-producing drones jointly developed with Russia this year, Japan’s NHK reports, citing sources familiar with the matter.

“The two countries reached an agreement under which the North receives technical help from Russia to develop multiple types of drones to be mass manufactured,” the report states, building on their 2024 strategic partnership treaty.

The drone deal highlights the deepening military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang, as Russia seeks weapons for its Ukraine war while North Korea pursues advanced military technology. Sources say this cooperation is tied to North Korea sending troops to support Russia’s invasion, though Moscow remains opposed to aiding Pyongyang’s nuclear program.

The agreement aligns with Kim Jong Un’s November 2024 directive after he “inspected a performance test of a so-called suicide drone and ordered that a system be developed to mass produce the weapon.”

Of the estimated 12,000 North Korean soldiers deployed to Russia’s Kursk Oblast in late 2024, nearly 40% have been killed or wounded. These special forces troops, despite their training, reportedly struggled against drone warfare—a technology many had never encountered before Ukraine.

While neither country officially acknowledges this deployment, Ukrainian forces have captured several North Korean prisoners, with one claiming he was sent for training rather than combat. President Zelenskyy has offered to return these prisoners to Kim Jong Un in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia.

Read more:

• Ukrainian drones devastated North Korean troops in Kursk. That might be exactly what Kim wanted
• Frontline report: Russia’s Kursk offensive crumbles as North Koreans pull back
• South Korea’s Intelligence confirms North Korean troops’ withdrawal from Kursk Oblast after heavy losses
• Zelenskyy says 4,000 North Korean troops killed in Kursk Oblast out of 12,000 deployed
• Kursk operation caused 40,000 Russian casualties in six months, Ukraine’s GenStaff says