The United States is today imposing sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities associated with the transfer of military equipment and components between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation in violation of the United Nations arms embargo on the DPRK. Russia has increasingly relied on the DPRK for munitions to wage war on Ukraine and has fired dozens of DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine.
Today’s action builds on a number of sanctions targeting Russia-DPRK military ties last year and highlights our opposition to continued arms transfers and deepening defense cooperation between Russia and the DPRK. Russia has already used more than 40 DPRK-made ballistic missiles against Ukraine, as well as munitions that Moscow imported in direct violation of UNSC resolutions on the DPRK.
Deepening DPRK–Russia relations pose a broader threat to global security and the international nonproliferation regime. We condemn Russia’s veto of a UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the UN 1718 Committee of Experts, a body that documented the DPRK’s violations of UN sanctions. We will continue to take all appropriate steps to counter the destabilizing Russia-DPRK partnership and call on the rest of the international community to join us.
Today’s action by the Treasury Department was taken in accordance with Executive Order 13551. For more information on today’s action, see Treasury’s Press release,
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