The United States is today imposing sanctions on five Russia-based individuals and entities connected to the transfer of military equipment and components between the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Russian Federation in violation of the UN arms embargo on the DPRK. Russia has increasingly relied upon the DPRK for munitions to wage its war on Ukraine and has fired dozens of DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against targets in Ukraine.
Today’s action builds on several sanctions designations over the past year targeting the Russia-DPRK military relationship and highlights our opposition to continued arms transfers and the deepening of defense cooperation between Russia and DPRK. Russia has already used upwards of 40 DPRK-produced ballistic missiles against Ukraine, as well as munitions, which Moscow imported in direct contravention of UNSC resolutions on the DPRK.
The deepening DPRK-Russia relationship poses a wide-ranging threat to global security and the international non-proliferation regime. We condemn Russia’s veto of the UN Security Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the UN 1718 Committee Panel of Experts, a body that documented the DPRK’s UN sanctions violations. We will continue to take all appropriate steps to counter the destabilizing Russia-DPRK partnership and call on others in the international community to join us.
The Department of the Treasury actions today were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13551. For more information on today’s action, see Treasury’s press release.
