Investigation Alleges Russian Network Recruits North Korean Workers via Student Visas

A broker network in Russia is allegedly recruiting North Korean labourers into forced labour through bogus student enrolments, according to an investigation by the international law foundation Global Rights Compliance. The months-long report, published on Thursday, states that the scheme utilizes student visas to bypass United Nations sanctions and domestic labour laws.

The operation is reportedly led by Russian businessman Vladimir Sokolov through the labour-brokering platform KNDR.su. The platform markets workers to prospective Russian employers across construction, agriculture, industry, and information technology, charging placement commissions ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 roubles, which is approximately $1,240 to $1,860.

During interactions with investigators posing as potential employers, operations director Ruslan Zhukov stated that workers are enrolled in educational institutions they do not attend in order to circumvent labour regulations. The report adds that workers face conditions requiring them to work 12 hours daily, six days a week.

United Nations Security Council resolutions from 2017 prohibit member states from hosting North Korean workers to restrict funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Despite these restrictions, international monitoring teams estimate that between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean nationals worked overseas in 2025, producing between $450 million and $800 million for Pyongyang.

Official figures indicate that Russia issued more than 36,000 visas to North Koreans in 2025, representing a fourfold increase from the prior year, with nearly all officially designated for educational purposes. Global Rights Compliance asserted that the arrangement also aids Russia's military efforts in Ukraine, noting that Sokolov promoted at least two worksites connected to Moscow's military-industrial complex.

Representatives Sokolov and Zhukov did not reply to inquiries sent to KNDR.su and the holding company Black Horse. However, a statement attributed to Zhukov and cited by Global Rights Compliance rejected the findings entirely, characterizing them as false and fabricated. The statement maintained that the individuals are students from a specialized college participating in an intergovernmental agreement focused on educational and industrial training exchanges.