Kim Jong Un Reaps $22 Billion Windfall from Russian Alliance

North Korea's foreign revenue surged to as much as $22 billion between 2022 and 2025, nearly four times the total earned in the previous four-year period, according to a Bloomberg Economics analysis. The windfall stems overwhelmingly from Pyongyang's alliance with Moscow, which has turned Kim Jong Un's isolated regime into one of the Kremlin's most valuable wartime partners.

The bulk of the earnings came from arms exports and troop deployments tied to Russia's war in Ukraine. Ukrainian intelligence estimates that North Korea supplied up to half of Russia's needs for 122mm and 152mm artillery shells by the end of 2025, drawing on Soviet-era stockpiles that had sat largely idle for decades. Pyongyang also sent between 16,000 and 22,000 soldiers to support Russian forces, reportedly earning around $2,000 a month for each deployed troop, with additional payments made for soldiers killed in combat.

"North Korea is in a stronger position than at any time in the last 35 years," Andrei Lankov, director of the Korea Risk Group, told Bloomberg, comparing the scale of the arms windfall to winning a lottery. He noted that renewed backing from both Moscow and Beijing has effectively shielded the regime from the pressure of United Nations sanctions.

The cash has translated directly into economic momentum at home. The Bank of Korea estimates North Korea's economy grew 3.5% in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of expansion after years of stagnation. Analysts say the inflow of Russian currency and goods has also allowed Kim to accelerate his nuclear weapons program and unveil new naval assets, including two 5,000-ton destroyers built with the help of Russian technology transfers.

Beyond battlefield support, North Korea has diversified its income through cybercrime. Blockchain analytics firm TRM Labs estimates that state-linked North Korean hacking operations now account for more than 70% of global cryptocurrency theft, with stolen funds reportedly laundered through Chinese criminal networks in exchange for access to offshore accounts.

The military cooperation shows no sign of slowing. Ukrainian officials say Russia is preparing to station a dedicated North Korean missile unit of roughly 90 personnel in its Voronezh region, integrated into a Russian missile brigade and equipped with launchers for up to 120 ballistic missiles. Pyongyang has also delivered fresh batches of short-range ballistic missiles to Russia, several of which have been used in recent strikes on Ukrainian civilian areas, according to Kyiv.

The scale of the financial windfall underscores how deeply the war in Ukraine has reshaped North Korea's economic and strategic standing, giving Kim leverage he has not enjoyed in decades even as his regime remains under some of the world's toughest sanctions.