Putin Bans Foreign-Made Military Uniforms – Is North Korea Cut Off?

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to ban foreign-made military uniforms for the Russian Armed Forces starting in 2026.

Starting in 2027, the fabrics and materials should also be made domestically, as per the decree.

Russian media platform Astra shared a copy of the Monday, Aug. 11 decree in its Telegram channel, which was signed on the same day.

“The Government of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation shall take additional measures providing, starting from Jan. 1, 2026, for the supply in accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation on the contract system in the sphere of procurement of goods, works, services to meet state and municipal needs,” the decree states.

“In the sphere of state defense order for the needs of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation of clothing and equipment manufactured by Russian organizations whose production facilities are located on the territory of the Russian Federation, and by 2027 also from fabrics and knitted fabrics produced on the territory of the Russian Federation,” it adds.

It remains unclear whether the restrictions will also apply to Kremlin allies such as Belarus and Kazakhstan, both members of the same free trade bloc.

While it is unclear which countries are involved in supplying the Russian military with uniforms, North Korea has been identified by Radio Free Asia as one of them, having supplied uniforms to Russian troops as recently as late 2022.

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At the time, North Korea received the materials from Russia, which were then used to manufacture new uniforms in Pyongyang factories and subsequently sent back to Russia by rail.

Moscow and Pyongyang later signed a mutual defense treaty in 2024, encompassing military and trade cooperation, with North Korea subsequently providing troops and weapons – including missiles as well as artillery shells and systems – to aid Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, presumably in exchange for resources and technology aid.

However, it is unclear whether North Korea has continued to supply uniforms to Russian troops after 2022 and whether the latest decree would impact trade between the two nations.