North Koreans recruited for forced labor in Russia using student visas

An international law foundation, Global Rights Compliance, reported that North Korean workers are being recruited into forced labor in Russia through a broker network using student visas.

The network, operated by Russian businessman Vladimir Sokolov, brings North Koreans into Russia on student visas to circumvent United Nations sanctions and labor laws, according to the report released on Thursday by Global Rights Compliance.

The labor-brokering platform KNDR.su markets North Korean workers to Russian employers in sectors including agriculture, construction, industry, and IT, charging a commission of 100,000 to 150,000 roubles ($1,240 to $1,860) per placement.

Conversations with the platform's operations director revealed that North Korean workers were enrolled in colleges they did not attend to avoid labor law application and were required to work 12 hours a day, six days a week.

United Nations member states are prohibited from hosting North Korean workers under a 2017 Security Council resolution aimed at cutting funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs. Despite this, Russia granted over 36,000 visas to North Koreans in 2025, a fourfold increase from the previous year, contributing to an estimated $450 million to $800 million generated overseas by North Korean workers in 2025.