Zelensky says Russia may have shared jet-drone technology with North Korea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Oct 4 that he believed Russia may have shared jet-powered drone technology with North Korea, as Russian forces increased their use of such aircraft against Ukraine. The claim, made amid reports of widening military cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang, has not been independently confirmed in the available reporting.¹³⁴

An alleged technology transfer

Zelensky said Moscow was sharing military technologies with North Korea and indicated that he considered a transfer involving jet-powered drones likely. He also suggested that Russia might provide ballistic missiles to Pyongyang, although he acknowledged uncertainty on that point. The Kyiv Independent reported the drone-technology transfer more definitively, but the other accounts described it as Zelensky’s belief rather than an independently verified event.¹³⁴

The allegation follows earlier weapons cooperation described in the reports. The South China Morning Post said North Korea had supplied Russia with millions of artillery shells earlier in the war and later provided ballistic missiles used by Moscow in attacks. The Kyiv Independent similarly reported that North Korean artillery and missiles had been used against Ukraine. These accounts were not independently substantiated within the dossier.¹³

The Straits Times described Russia as a longstanding North Korean ally. The Kyiv Independent reported that Moscow had deepened its defence ties with Pyongyang during the full-scale war and was preparing to enlist another 10,000 North Korean troops to serve with Russian forces. That recruitment claim comes from a single report and remains unconfirmed here.¹⁴

A faster challenge for Ukrainian defences

Russia has sharply expanded its use of jet-powered drones against Ukraine in recent weeks, according to Ukrainian and regional reporting. The Kyiv Independent said Moscow had developed high-speed jet-powered versions of Shahed-type attack drones and that, in some attacks on Kyiv, they represented about two-thirds of the drones launched. It also reported repeated strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.¹³

The new aircraft are considerably more difficult for mobile firing teams and first-person-view interceptor drones to engage, according to the reports. Meduza reported that jet-propelled versions travel at between three and four times the speed of standard drones and are far more expensive. The South China Morning Post reported that Ukraine currently had no effective response other than combat aircraft, while Meduza quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying Ukraine lacked an “antidote” to them.¹²³

The Kyiv Independent reported that the greater use of these drones was further draining Ukraine’s air defences, which were also under pressure from frequent ballistic-missile attacks. The outlet said Russia planned to spend $12 billion the following year on jet-powered drones and loitering munitions. Both the effect on air defences and the spending plan are single-source claims in the dossier.¹

Kyiv adds turrets and develops missiles

Ukraine has begun installing defensive turrets in response, Zelensky said in reporting published on Oct 5. More than 12 had been placed in Kyiv, while eight additional fifty-calibre systems were planned for the Kyiv region. The available account did not provide independent confirmation of their installation or details about their performance against jet-powered targets.²

Kyiv is also pursuing several counter-drone approaches simultaneously, according to Meduza. A small-missile programme was expected to produce its first results by the end of October, and successful missiles could move quickly into mass production. The report did not establish whether the programme would prove effective or provide a schedule beyond that initial milestone.²