WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a network of five groups and one person, based in Russia and the Georgian region of South Ossetia, for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea, the Treasury Department said.
“Today’s action holds accountable parties that have assisted the DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea) and Russian sanctions evasion,” Treasury said in a statement.
The measures also show U.S. commitment to disrupting networks “that facilitate the funding of the DPRK’s unlawful weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and ballistic missile programs and support Russia’s illegal war against Ukraine,” it said.
Russia has become increasingly dependent on North Korea for weapons procurement and economic ties, the department said.
The new sanctions expose how Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government uses illegal financial schemes to help North Korea access the international banking system, in violation of U.N. Security Council sanctions, Treasury said.
The U.S. action comes days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met top Russian security official Sergei Shoigu and discussed deepening strategic dialogue between the two countries, according to a state media KCNA report on Saturday.
The United States and Ukraine, as well as independent analysts, say Kim is helping Russia by supplying rockets and missiles in return for economic and other military assistance from Moscow.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; editing by David Ljunggrem)
