'Very dangerous moment' — Russia sharing jet-powered drone tech with North Korea, Zelensky says
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Russia has transferred jet-powered drone technology to North Korea as part of its intensifying defense partnership, President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference on Oct. 4.
Zelensky's comments come a week after he warned that Moscow is preparing to recruit another 10,000 North Korean military personnel to fight alongside Russian troops against Ukraine.
When asked if Russia had also shared its new jet drone technology with Pyongyang, Zelensky's response to journalists was unequivocal: "Yes, of course."
Zelensky outlined Russia and North Korea's history of weapons cooperation throughout the full-scale war, including Pyongyang's supplies of artillery and missiles used to attack Ukraine.
"They're sharing with North Korea all the technologies," Zelensky said. He added that he was not certain if Russia was sharing its ballistic missile supplies as well, but he believed it to be likely.
"I think yes, because North Korea helped them with missiles. It's a very dangerous moment."
The president compared the situation to Russia's cooperation with Iran. Early in the war, Tehran gave Moscow the means to produce its own Shahed attack drones. Years later, when Iran came under attack by the U.S. and Israel, Russia came to its ally's aid with drone supplies, Zelensky said.
Russia has now upgraded its Shahed-type attack drones with high-speed, jet-powered versions that have relentlessly attacked Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.
Moscow's jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 kamikaze drones can reach speeds of up to 500 and 600 kilometers per hour, respectively, making them much harder for FPV drones and mobile fire teams to intercept.
The increased use of these weapons in aerial attacks has further exhausted Ukraine's air defenses, already strained by Russia's frequent ballistic missile strikes. In some recent attacks on Kyiv, jet-powered drones have accounted for around two-thirds of all drones launched.
Zelensky said on Sept. 26 that Russia plans to spend $12 billion next year on the production of jet-powered drones and loitering munitions.
