A Russian company has been revealed to be using an online platform to recruit North Korean workers disguised as 'students,' according to an investigation by an international human rights organization. This operation circumvents UN sanctions that prohibit the employment of North Korean laborers, with the earnings reportedly funneled into North Korea's ballistic missile development.
On October 29, the Hague-based Global Rights Compliance (GRC) released a report detailing the findings of a nine-month investigation. The report states that Moscow businessman Vladimir Sokolov operates the online labor brokerage platform 'KNDR.su,' selling North Korean workers to Russian companies. 'KNDR' is an abbreviation for North Korea in Russian. Sokolov has led the Black Horse Group, which imports machinery from China and Europe, since 2007.
GRC investigators posed as employers and contacted Ruslan Zhukov, the operational head of Sokolov's network. Zhukov confirmed that orders are accepted in groups of at least 50 workers and that North Korean laborers have been working in Russia since 2025. The platform charges a commission of 100,000 to 150,000 rubles (approximately $900 to $1,350) per worker. KNDR.su advertises that workers labor for 12 hours a day with only two days off per month, but when questioned about potential labor law violations, Zhukov claimed that since they are 'students,' there is no employment relationship, and thus labor laws do not apply.
According to the report, North Korean workers obtain student visas by being listed at Russian universities while receiving 'practical training' at their employing companies. Last year, Russia issued 36,413 visas to North Koreans, nearly four times the number from 2024, with over 98% being student visas. Workers reportedly work up to 18 hours a day, six to seven days a week, and remit 90% of their earnings to the North Korean authorities.
KNDR.su states that Russian companies must undergo on-site inspections by the North Korean embassy to employ North Korean workers. GRC confirmed that North Korean embassy officials have inspected Russian factories using facial recognition technology. Among the nine workplaces identified in the report, approximately 30 North Korean workers were visually confirmed at KPP Ruscon, a military food and canned goods company in Moscow Oblast, while the U.S.-sanctioned metal processing company Agrisovgas in Kaluga Oblast was inspected by embassy officials as a potential employer.
Dylan Carter, GRC's lead investigator, stated, "In Russia, slave labor has become a commodity that can be accessed with just a few clicks. Under the thin guise of educational exchange, groups of North Korean workers are openly advertised online and sold like products." In response, Zhukov denied any connection to the Black Horse network, asserting that North Korean nationals are students, not workers.
Sokolov was sanctioned by the EU on October 12 for pursuing industrial cooperation projects with North Korea, resulting in asset freezes. The Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) estimated in September that there are between 35,600 and 101,280 North Korean overseas workers, who earned between $450 million and $800 million last year (approximately $600 million to $1.7 billion).
* This article has been translated by AI.
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