Russia to help North Korea set up Shahed drone production facilities, says Ukraine’s intel chief

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR), revealed in an interview with The War Zone that Russia plans to help North Korea establish production facilities for Shahed drones on North Korean soil.

“[There are] agreements on the beginning of the creation of capabilities to produce UAVs of the Garpiya and Geran [the Russian version of Iranian Shahed-136 drones] types on the territory of North Korea,” Budanov stated.

He warned that this development “will for sure bring changes in the military balance in the region between North Korea and South Korea.” However, Budanov noted that, so far, Russia and North Korea have only agreed to initiate the organization of production.

Russia first received hundreds of Shahed drones from Iran in 2022. By summer 2023, Russia had started producing these drones independently, establishing a factory about 1,200 km from the front line in the special economic zone Alabuga, in the city of Yelabuga.

According to HUR estimates, as of May 2025, Russia’s production of Shahed drones and their copies reached roughly 170 units per day, with expectations to increase to 190 drones daily by the end of the year.