North Korea earned $22 billion in foreign revenue from 2022 to 2025, nearly four times more than in the previous four years, according to a Bloomberg Economics analysis based on trade statistics, intelligence data, and third-party research. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) estimates that about $14 billion of that total came from Russia.
More than 90% of the revenue from Russia came from arms sales. North Korea earned $9.1 billion from ammunition supplies, $2.38 billion from heavy artillery, $1.27 billion from ballistic missiles, and $849 million from sending North Korean troops. Pyongyang received about $2,000 per soldier per month, with additional payments for each soldier killed.
By the end of 2025, Ukrainian intelligence estimated that North Korea was supplying up to half of the Russian army's needs for the most widely used 122mm and 152mm shells. According to South Korean, Ukrainian, and Western intelligence services, between 10,000 and 22,000 North Korean troops were sent to the front, with thousands killed. The South Korean outlet NK Pro reported that at least 2,300 North Koreans died in the war against Ukraine, with total casualties (killed and wounded) around 6,000.
Kim Jong Un invested the money from Russia primarily in expanding the nuclear arsenal, but some also went to the economy: Pyongyang is experiencing a construction boom, private Chinese cars have appeared on the streets, and trade with China in June reached its highest level since sanctions were imposed. The Bank of Korea estimates North Korea's economy grew by 3.5% in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of growth.
Military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is deepening. On August 5, Andriy Chernyak, a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), told Reuters that a North Korean missile unit of about 90 soldiers had reportedly arrived in the Voronezh region and was being integrated into the 112th Guards Missile Brigade. HUR estimates the unit could receive up to six launchers and up to 120 KN-23 and KN-24 ballistic missiles, with the final configuration to be determined in negotiations in September. There is no independent confirmation of this information.