The U.S. Treasury on May 16 imposed sanctions against Russian citizens who helped Russia get weapons from North Korea.
With Russia's military stocks running low and domestic production capacity simultaneously hampered by Western sanctions, North Korea has been shaping up as Russia's leading weapons supplier, reportedly providing Moscow with extensive military packages, including ballistic missiles and over 3 million artillery shells.
The U.S. Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced sanctions on two Russian individuals and three Russia-based entities for facilitating weapons transfers between North Korea and Russia.
New Zealand introduced similar sanctions earlier this week, targeting actors involved in the transfer of North Korean arms to Russia.
“Today’s action reflects our commitment to disrupt the DPRK’s deepening military cooperation with Russia,” Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson said. “The United States will continue to take action to hold accountable those who seek to facilitate the shipment of weapons and other materiel to enable Russia’s war.”
In March 2023, OFAC imposed sanctions against a Slovakian national, Ashot Mkrtychev, and associated entities for facilitating weapons transfers between Russia and the DPRK.
The U.S. has now sanctioned another associated individual, Rafael Anatolyevich Gazaryan, for working with Mkrtychev on arms exchanges between Moscow and Pyongyang. According to the report, Gazaryan has acted as a point of contact for Mkrtychev’s negotiations to obtain arms for Russia. Gazaryan also worked as a company director at Verus LLC, a company associated with Mkrtychev's sanctions evasion network.
Gazaryan also used two Russian-based companies, Trans Kapital Limited Liability and Rafort Limited Liability, to facilitate weapons and munition transfers between the two countries. The Russian national is also reportedly the director of Rafort Limited.
The U.S. Treasury identified one more individual involved in arms shipments to Russia from North Korea. Aleksey Budnev has helped maintain shipments of military communications equipment to Russia from North Korea since March 2023. He is also the sole owner of a Russian-based company, Tekhnologiya, OOO.
OFAC will impose sanctions on Gazaryan, Trans Kapital Limited Liability, Rafort Limited Liability, Aleksey Budnev, and Tekhnologiya, OOO.
New Zealand introduced similar sanctions earlier this week, targeting actors involved in the transfer of North Korean arms to Russia.
Ukrainian prosecutors announced in March that Russia had fired around 50 North Korean missiles to attack six Ukrainian oblasts since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Around half of these missiles malfunctioned and exploded in mid-air.
Nate Ostiller
