As many as 12,000 North Koreans working at a Russian drone factory are victims of “gross human rights abuses and human trafficking,” according to a new report.

The figures were part of a joint report published on October 14 by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Dallas-based George W. Bush Institute. It analyzes how Russia, North Korea, China and Iran are involved in expanding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production at the Yelabuga plant in Tatarstan, and what each country stands to gain.

While Moscow gets access to more than 5,500 drones a month for its war against Ukraine, China benefits from being the main supplier of dual-use components, including batteries, internal electronics, engines and navigation systems.

Iran has supplied Russia with Shahed drones, which has helped Moscow produce upgraded domestic variants, known as Geran.

Meanwhile, North Korea is earning money by retaining as much as 90% of the wages of the laborers, the report stated.

“The…