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National Resistance Center: Russia plans to bring North Korean workers to occupied Ukraine

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The Kremlin intends to bring North Korean workers to occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, the National Resistance Center reported on Sept. 17.

During a widely publicized meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sept. 13, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin allegedly tried to convince the DPRK to open "diplomatic missions in Donetsk and Luhansk" as a way to facilitate the importation of North Korean workers to the occupied territories. The objective of these workers, according to the report, would be to aid construction projects in Russian-controlled regions of Ukraine.

The Center stated that previous attempts by the Russian Federation to recruit Central Asian labor migrants into the military suggests that the Kremlin is unable to gather sufficient numbers of workers from within Russia.

However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told journalists on Sept. 15 that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed no agreements during their meeting.

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Rachel Amran

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Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.

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