The Telegraph reported on 9 October 2026 that Russia had trained China‘s People’s Liberation Army on jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones at the Center-2026 military exercise in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region. The drills were built on wartime lessons from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The exercise showed deeper command integration between the PLA and the Russian Army than previous joint exercises. Western officials have reported that Chinese components are found in many of the drones Russia fires at Ukraine.
Efforts Category: China-Russia Military Cooperation
The New York Times reported on 23 October 2026 that Russia had recruited 12,000 North Korean workers to its Geran-2 drone factories in Russia’s Tatarstan region and had dispatched Russian officers to North Korea to train North Korean drone operators.
Russia provided North Korea with battlefield data and feedback from Ukraine, improving North Korean hypersonic missile accuracy and maneuverability. North Korea supplied Russia with arms and troops in return.
In September 2026, a sanctions-monitoring group warned that Russia’s use of North Korean labor across defense sectors raised the risk of vital military technology reaching Pyongyang.
Also in September 2026, photos from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s visit to a drone factory indicated that North Korea had begun mass-producing drones.
Efforts Category: Russia-North Korea Military Cooperation
