Kremlin 'pays off' allies in war with periphery and risks losing control of 40% of territory amid China and North Korea's influence - intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service reported that Russia risks losing control over 40% of its territory due to the increasing influence of China and North Korea in the Far East. Moscow is paying off its allies in the war against Ukraine with territories, lacking the resources to develop the Far Eastern Federal District.
The Kremlin risks losing control over 40% of its territory, increasingly "settling accounts" with allies in the war against Ukraine with territory, amid China and North Korea strengthening their influence in the Far East, the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine said on Thursday, UNN writes.
Russia is increasingly "settling accounts" with allies in the war against Ukraine with its own territories. Lacking resources to develop the country's largest region – the Far Eastern Federal District – Moscow is paving the way for external expansion.
China, as stated, is increasing its influence economically. According to forecasts, the volume of its investments in the region in 2025 could reach one trillion rubles. However, most agreements concern trade: there are no infrastructure projects. According to Viktor Kalashnikov, a senator from the Khabarovsk Krai, in 2024, the volume of Russian-Chinese trade increased by 5.5 million tons, and in the first half of 2025 – by another 36%.
"At the same time, China is conducting a 'creeping' demographic expansion. From Vladivostok to the Urals, up to two million Chinese already live, and this number is growing. This is facilitated by benefits within Russian TORs and the introduction of a visa-free regime. Enclaves are being formed where Russians practically do not work," the report says.
In parallel, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, Moscow is involving North Korea in the development of the region. Over the past year, more than 15,000 North Korean workers have arrived in the Far East, unofficially – up to 50,000. Russian companies have already ordered another 153,000 labor contracts. Workers receive minimal pay, while Pyongyang earns up to $500 million annually, the intelligence service noted.
"Thus, a situation arises where two nuclear powers simultaneously strengthen their positions on the territory of a third. China forms economic dependence, North Korea – labor dependence. Both countries solve their own problems at the expense of Russian resources," the report says.
In the future, the growing Chinese presence and the expansion of North Korean labor quotas could create a conflict of interest between partners. The Kremlin risks losing control over 40% of its own territory – almost seven million square kilometers with a population of 7.9 million people – turning the Far East into an arena for foreign strategies.