At least three factories in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and more in other parts of the country are producing “large quantities” of winter uniforms, underwear, and footwear for Russian soldiers fighting against Ukraine, Radio Free Asia reported, citing unnamed sources.
The factories are using Russian raw materials and planning to export finished uniforms via the Tumen River-Khasan freight train, according to the report. The route was resumed on Nov. 2 after a nearly three-year pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“With these new orders for military uniforms for the Russian soldiers in Ukraine, some of the garment factories in Pyongyang are again earning foreign currency,” after a forced pause due to the pandemic, one of the sources told Radio Free Asia.
U.N. Security Council voted to forbid all textile exports from North Korea in 2017.
Earlier on Nov. 4, the Russian embassy in Pyongyang said that Russia is “interested in buying clothes and shoes” from North Korea.