North Korea Bolsters Russia‘s War Effort with Thousands of Workers
MOSCOW – As Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, a critical labor shortage impacting its military production is being addressed through a meaningful influx of North korean workers, according to sources familiar with the arrangement. The deployment, reportedly numbering in the thousands, is providing essential manpower to Russian factories and construction sites supporting the war machine, circumventing international sanctions imposed on both nations.The reliance on North Korean labor underscores the strain on Russia’s economy and workforce due to mobilization and emigration linked to the ongoing conflict.While Western governments have long accused North Korea of providing arms to russia, this marks a substantial escalation – a direct provision of human capital aimed at sustaining Russia’s military capabilities. The arrangement poses a challenge to international efforts to isolate both regimes and raises concerns about potential human rights abuses linked to forced labor.
Ukrainian president volodymyr Zelenskyy stated his willingness to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in any format, but expressed skepticism about the sincerity of Putin’s offer to convene in moscow. “If a person doesn’t want to meet during a war, they can certainly propose something unacceptable to me or others,” Zelenskyy noted. Putin had previously indicated openness to a meeting, but only on Russian soil.
Negotiations for a neutral meeting location are underway, with seven countries reportedly offering to host – including Austria, vatican City, Switzerland, Turkey, and three Gulf states, according to Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister Andriy Sybiha. A meeting in Moscow is ruled out by Ukraine.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump announced he would “gladly” host both Russian and Chinese leaders at the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, Florida, to be held at the “Trump National Doral” golf course. trump indicated Putin and Xi Jinping could attend as “observers,” despite both nations being full members of the G20. He also plans to invite Poland as an additional observer to the forum, which includes the world’s 19 largest economies, the European Union, and the African Union.
