Ukrainian intelligence warns that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones

Defence affairs - zona militar

Framed by an interview conducted in Washington on June 7, the head of Ukrainian intelligence, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov, warned that Russia is supplying North Korea with capabilities for the large-scale production of Garpiya and Geran drones as a reward for its support of the invasion of Ukraine. The issue had already been hinted at during the month of February, at which point elaborate reports emerged from Japanese media outlets claiming that Pyongyang was preparing to produce Russian drones within its territory with Moscow’s support, adding to other signs of support, among which we can highlight assistance for the modernization of KN-23 missiles and the delivery of Pantsir defense systems.

Delving into some details of the interview, conducted by Howard Altman for the specialized outlet The War Zone, the head of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) stated that Russia is currently able to produce around 2,000 units per month of drones belonging to the Iranian-origin Shahed family, although it hopes to increase production in the near future to around 5,000 and incorporate various improvements in terms of range, payload, and attack patterns. These are particularly among the most widely used weapons in the conflict, so the start of production in North Korea would allow for the reinforcement of Russian inventories, as well as represent a significant boost in its attack capabilities in the event of conflict with its southern counterpart.

In the words of Lieutenant General Budanov himself: “There are agreements for the initiation of the creation of capabilities to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the Garpiya and Geran types (Editor’s note: the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed-136 drones) on North Korean territory. This will undoubtedly change the regional military balance between North Korea and South Korea.” It is unknown, however, in what quantities Pyongyang would be capable of producing these kinds of systems, as the parties are still in the organizational stages of the production process.

In addition, the head of Ukrainian intelligence again stated that Russia is working closely with North Korea to improve the accuracy of its KN-23 missiles, which are also known under the designation Hwasong-11. It is worth recalling in this regard that Pyongyang supplied this type of weaponry to its Russian ally as part of its support for the invasion of Ukraine, although the first batches of missiles sent performed poorly in various respects. According to reports from the Ukrainian prosecutor’s office, many of these missiles failed to maintain their programmed trajectory accurately, while others even exploded mid-flight due to technical failures; with Russia’s help, this would have radically changed.

In line with the above, as mentioned earlier, this is not the only example of Russian support for North Korea as part of a cooperation agreement that does not solely affect the defense sphere. It is illustrative to note, in this regard, that Moscow has reportedly recently sent at least one of its Pantsir air defense systems to reinforce its North Korean ally’s capabilities, which previously relied mainly on outdated S-75 and S-125M systems. In turn, during the 2024 Reagan National Defense Forum, U.S. Admiral Samuel Paparo (of INDOPACOM) hinted that a potential transfer of MiG-29 and Su-27 fighter jets to the North Korean Air Force is also being outlined in order to allow it to replace its already obsolete MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21 jets.