Report details how student visas hide North Korean labor in Russia
An investigation finds a broker network uses fake college enrollments to bypass UN sanctions and place workers in Russian factories.
By Mateo Thompson ·
North Korean workers are entering Russia on student visas to perform forced labor, according to a report published Thursday by Global Rights Compliance. The Netherlands-based nonprofit found that a broker network uses sham college enrollments to keep these workers from being classified as employees. This structure allows the program to bypass United Nations sanctions and standard labor protections.
The investigation focuses on KNDR.su, a platform operated by Russian businessman Vladimir Sokolov. The site lists North Korean workers for Russian employers in agriculture, construction, industry, and information technology. Employers pay a commission of 100,000 to 150,000 roubles per placement. That amount converts to approximately $1,240 to $1,860 at current exchange rates.
Investigators posed as potential clients to interview Ruslan Zhukov, the operations director for the network. Zhukov stated that workers are enrolled in colleges they do not attend specifically to avoid the application of labor law. He described a work schedule of 12 hours per day, six days a week. The foundation noted that this arrangement supports a state-sponsored program that generates revenue for Pyongyang's ballistic missile development.
A 2017 UN Security Council resolution prohibits member states from hosting North Korean workers to cut off funding for nuclear programs. An 11-country monitoring team estimates that between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean workers were abroad in 2025. These workers earned an estimated $450 million to $800 million for the North Korean government. Russia issued more than 36,000 visas to North Koreans that year, a fourfold increase from the previous year. Nearly all of these visas were designated for educational purposes.
Global Rights Compliance also linked the network to Russia's military efforts in Ukraine. The report states that Sokolov advertised at least two work sites connected to the Russian military-industrial complex. Lara Strangways, head of business and human rights at the foundation, said the network serves both governments simultaneously. She noted that the labor supports Russian industry while the income funds North Korea's military programs.
Sokolov and Zhukov did not respond to direct requests for comment sent to their holding company, Black Horse, or to the platform. In a statement attributed to Zhukov, the allegations were called false and fabricated. The statement claimed the arrangement involved students under an intergovernmental agreement for educational and industrial training. The two nations ratified a mutual defense treaty in 2024 as cooperation expanded following Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The foundation urged governments to recognize the role of forced labor in sustaining the alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang. The report details how the visa system functions as a primary mechanism for this economic and military partnership.
