Russia has agreed to assist North Korea start home manufacturing of Shahed-type "kamikaze" drones, Ukraine's army intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov mentioned in an interview with the Conflict Zone journal revealed on June 9.

Shahed drones may allow North Korea to strike targets throughout South Korea, probably overwhelming air defenses, and will additionally help Russia in its conflict towards Ukraine, the Conflict Zone wrote.

Budanov mentioned Moscow and Pyongyang reached an settlement to begin organizing the manufacturing of Iranian-designed Garpiya and Geran drones — the latter being Russia's designation for the Shahed-136 loitering munition — on North Korean territory.

"It's extra about know-how switch," Budanov advised the outlet, warning that the event may upset the army steadiness on the Korean Peninsula. "They simply agreed to begin the group of this manufacturing."

Shahed drones, low-cost and filled with explosives, have grow to be a central weapon in Russia's aerial assaults on Ukraine since their introduction in late 2022.

Identified for flying lengthy distances earlier than slamming into targets, they’re now mass-produced by Russia and launched in near-nightly waves to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.

The information comes amid deepening army ties between Russia and North Korea. In response to a Could 29 report by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Workforce (MSMT), Pyongyang shipped to Russia as much as 9 million artillery shells and no less than 100 ballistic missiles in 2024 alone.

North Korea's involvement within the conflict expanded in fall 2024, when it deployed hundreds of troops to Russia's western border to assist fend off a large-scale Ukrainian incursion. The transfer adopted the signing of a protection treaty between the 2 nations in June 2024, obligating each to offer army support if both is attacked.

North Korea acknowledged its function within the conflict solely in April 2025. A month later, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un mentioned the nation's participation was a part of a "sacred mission," aligning Pyongyang's narrative with Moscow's.

Kim stays a vocal ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, supplying not solely troopers but in addition artillery, drones, and ballistic missiles. Throughout Russia's Could 9 Victory Day Parade in Moscow, Putin personally greeted North Korean troops, although Kim didn’t attend.

In one of largest attacks on Ukraine’s capital, Russian barrage hits Kyiv, Odesa, kills 2, injures 12In the early hours of June 10, Kyiv and Odesa came under another mass Russian attack, involving ballistic missiles and drones. Explosions were heard across the capital as air defense systems engaged the targets.The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova