A Russian drone factory, North Korean workers and allegations of slavery. DW looks at the human cost of Moscow's war machine.

North Korean workers at a Russian drone factory are victims of 'gross human rights abuses and human trafficking', according to a new report.

The full report

A new report has revealed the plight of North Korean workers at a drone factory in Russia. The report, published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the George W. Bush Institute, alleges that as many as 12,000 North Koreans working at the Yelabuga plant in Tatarstan are victims of 'gross human rights abuses and human trafficking'.

The report analyzes how Russia, North Korea, China, and Iran are involved in expanding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production at the Yelabuga plant. While Moscow gets access to more than 5,500 drones a month for its war against Ukraine, China benefits from being the main supplier of dual-use components, including batteries, internal electronics, engines, and navigation systems.

Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones, which has helped Moscow produce upgraded domestic variants, known as Geran. Meanwhile, North Korea is earning money by retaining as much as 90% of the wages of the laborers, according to the report.

The joint report says Russia and North Korea are defying United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397, which requires any UN member state to send North Korean workers home within two years. The report states that 'the North Korean regime… is selling the labor of its citizens under a state-to-state arrangement, controlling whether they may leave and collecting most of their wages,' which is 'the definition of forced labor'.

Song Young-Chae, a Seoul-based academic and human rights activist, says Pyongyang is 'effectively conducting slavery of its own people and for its own profit.' He adds that 'life in North Korea is not easy, but these people are being sent to Russia as slaves, with no freedom, and they are only allowed to keep a fraction of the money they earn.'