Thousands of North Korean laborers are exploited in Russia, working in inhumane conditions to make up for the labor shortage caused by the war in Ukraine.

According to a BBC report, thousands of North Koreans are being sent to Russia for slave labor, especially in construction, to fill a shortage of workers caused by the invasion of Ukraine. Fugitive workers describe abominable working conditions, with 18-hour days and constant surveillance by the North Korean authorities. They are subjected to dangerous conditions, sleep in unsanitary conditions, receive few days off and are treated brutally by supervisors.