North Korea's Arms, Troops to Russia Valued at Up to $9.8 Billion, Returns Limited
North Korea supplied weapons, ammunition and troops to Russia worth an estimated $5.8 billion to $9.8 billion between 2023 and mid-2025, while Russia's confirmed compensation totaled only $400 million to $1.2 billion, according to a September 2025 report. The North Korean currency has fallen sharply amid banknote overprinting and rising inflation, and military cooperation has failed to ease the country's economic difficulties.
Estimates based on public information put the value of weapons and troops North Korea has supplied to Russia at up to $9.8 billion, while Russia's confirmed compensation amounts to at most about $1.2 billion. The North Korean currency has fallen sharply amid factors including banknote overprinting, and inflationary pressure has risen, with military cooperation failing to alleviate economic difficulties.
North Korea has supplied weapons and ammunition to Russia since 2022. In 2024, it signed a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty with Russia and dispatched approximately 15,000 soldiers to Russia's western front, where they have taken part in combat operations and reconstruction work against Ukrainian forces. North Korea plans to send additional troops; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on August 8 that North Korea has decided to deploy up to 50,000 soldiers on Russian territory.
The scale of the Russia-North Korea transactions has been estimated through government statements, satellite imagery and analysis by Western intelligence agencies, but the full picture remains unclear. In a report released in September 2025, Ukrainian researcher Olena Huseinova analyzed public information and found that from 2023 to mid-2025, the total value of weapons, ammunition and troops North Korea supplied to Russia ranged from $5.8 billion to $9.8 billion, while the compensation Russia transferred or confirmed to North Korea was only $400 million to $1.2 billion, including food, oil and fighter jets.