Russia is suspected of helping North Korea rapidly upgrade its missile and UAV arsenal. The military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is becoming one of the factors in a new arms race on the Korean Peninsula. In exchange for the supply of artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles and the participation of North Korean servicemen in combat operations, Russia, according to US and South Korean intelligence estimates, provides North Korea with military technologies, equipment and technical support. Of particular importance is the experience gained from the use of North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 missiles against Ukraine. Pyongyang has the opportunity to assess the performance of its systems under real combat conditions, including a confrontation with Western air defense and electronic warfare systems. According to Western analysts, the accuracy of North Korean missiles has improved significantly compared to initial tests. However, today it is not possible to determine to what extent this is due to Russian technologies, and to what extent it is due to software adaptations and the accumulation of experience. A separate area of ​​cooperation is UAV aviation. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is assisting North Korea in controlling the production of attack drones based on Iranian Shahad-136 aircraft. North Korean developers are also demonstrating a stray munition structurally similar to the Russian Lancet UAVs. At the same time, North Korean servicemen are gaining direct experience in using and countering UAVs. This involves not only the transfer of finished products, but also the acquisition of modern methods of conducting combat operations. The implications of such cooperation are already being considered in the context of security on the Korean Peninsula. On October 3, 2026, North Korea tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Pyongyang classifies as a hypersonic system.

Russia is suspected of helping North Korea rapidly upgrade its missile and UAV arsenal. The military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang is becoming one of the factors in a new arms race on the Korean Peninsula. In exchange for the supply of artillery ammunition, ballistic missiles and the participation of North Korean servicemen in combat operations, Russia, according to US and South Korean intelligence estimates, provides North Korea with military technologies, equipment and technical support. Of particular importance is the experience gained from the use of North Korean KN-23 and KN-24 missiles against Ukraine. Pyongyang has the opportunity to assess the performance of its systems under real combat conditions, including a confrontation with Western air defense and electronic warfare systems. According to Western analysts, the accuracy of North Korean missiles has improved significantly compared to initial tests. However, today it is not possible to determine to what extent this is due to Russian technologies, and to what extent it is due to software adaptations and the accumulation of experience. A separate area of ​​cooperation is UAV aviation. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is assisting North Korea in controlling the production of attack drones based on Iranian Shahad-136 aircraft. North Korean developers are also demonstrating a stray munition structurally similar to the Russian Lancet UAVs. At the same time, North Korean servicemen are gaining direct experience in using and countering UAVs. This involves not only the transfer of finished products, but also the acquisition of modern methods of conducting combat operations. The implications of such cooperation are already being considered in the context of security on the Korean Peninsula. On October 3, 2026, North Korea tested an intermediate-range ballistic missile, which Pyongyang classifies as a hypersonic system.