DPRK - World War III.2
The United States accused North Korea of supplying Russia with a “significant” number of artillery shells to be used in Ukraine, as Moscow increasingly looks to allies for help with the war effort. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on 02 November 2022 that the alleged North Korean weapon shipments are unlikely to change the course of the conflict, stressing Western efforts to support the Ukrainian military. “Our indications are that the DPRK is covertly supplying, and we are going to monitor to see whether the shipments are received,” Kirby told reporters.
Russia’s defence minister stood shoulder to shoulder with Kim on 27 July 2023 as they reviewed North Korea’s newest nuclear-capable missiles and attack drones at a military parade in the capital Pyongyang.
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin exchanged letters pledging to develop ties into what Kim called a “long-standing strategic relationship”. The letters marked the 78th anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule, which is also celebrated as a national holiday in South Korea.
In his letter to Putin on 15 August 2023, Kim said the two countries’ friendship was forged in World War II with victory over Japan and is now “fully demonstrating their invincibility and might in the struggle to smash the imperialists’ arbitrary practices and hegemony”, state news agency KCNA said. “I am firmly convinced that the friendship and solidarity … will be further developed into a long-standing strategic relationship in conformity with the demand of the new era,” Kim was quoted as saying in the letter. “The two countries will always emerge victorious, strongly supporting and cooperating with each other in the course of achieving their common goal and cause.”
Putin, in his message to Kim, also pledged to bolster bilateral ties. “I am sure that we will strengthen the bilateral cooperation in all fields for the two peoples’ well-being and the firm stability and security of the Korean peninsula and the whole of Northeast Asia,” Putin said in a statement distributed by the Kremlin.
The United States accused North Korea of providing weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, including artillery shells, shoulder-fired rockets and missiles. Pyongyang and Moscow have denied any arms transactions.
The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev (Mkrtychev) on March 30, 2023, for attempting to facilitate arms deals between Russia and the DPRK. This is the first designation in the DPRK sanctions program in response to Russia’s attempt to secure weapons from the DPRK. Mkrtychev worked with DPRK officials in an attempt to obtain more than two dozen different kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft to raw materials and commodities to be sent to the DPRK. He also confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from the DPRK with senior Russian officials.
Sanctions and export controls imposed by a coalition of over 30 countries have constrained Russia’s ability to replace lost military equipment and supplies with modern technology. At the same time, the United States and its partners are continuing to provide Ukraine with advanced weapons to defend itself against Russia’s brutal war of choice.
Between the end of 2022 and early 2023, Mkrtychev worked with DPRK officials to obtain over two dozen kinds of weapons and munitions for Russia in exchange for materials ranging from commercial aircraft, raw materials, and commodities to be sent to the DPRK. Mkrtychev’s negotiations with DPRK and Russian officials detailed mutually beneficial cooperation between North Korea and Russia to include financial payments and barter arrangements. He confirmed Russia’s readiness to receive military equipment from the DPRK with senior Russian officials.
Mkrtychev’s negotiations with those officials indicated that necessary Russian preparations for a proposed deal were complete, and that they were ready to receive materials from and transfer materials to the DPRK. He also provided DPRK officials with information from Russian officials, likely connected to his attempts to obtain military equipment for Russia from DPRK. Lastly, Mkrtychev worked with a Russian individual to locate commercial aircraft suitable for delivery to the DPRK.
“Russia has lost over 9,000 pieces of heavy military equipment since the start of the war, and thanks in part to multilateral sanctions and export controls, Putin has become increasingly desperate to replace them,” said Secretary of the Treasury Janet L. Yellen. “Schemes like the arms deal pursued by this individual show that Putin is turning to suppliers of last resort like Iran and the DPRK. We remain committed to degrading Russia’s military-industrial capabilities, as well as exposing and countering Russian attempts to evade sanctions and obtain military equipment from the DPRK or any other state that is prepared to support its war in Ukraine.”
On 16 August 2023, the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on three entities tied to a sanctions evasion network attempting to support arms deals between Russia and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The entities are Limited Liability Company Verus (Verus), Defense Engineering Limited Liability Partnership (Defense Engineering), and Versor S.R.O. (Versor). Ashot Mkrtychev is the President of Versor, the founder and owner of Verus, and the sole director of Defense Engineering.
This action is part of the continuing U.S. strategy to identify, expose, and disrupt third-country actors seeking to support Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. As Russia has continued to expend munitions and lose heavy equipment on the battlefield, it has been increasingly forced to turn to its few allies, including the DPRK, to sustain its unprovoked war in Ukraine. To date, Treasury has sanctioned hundreds of individuals and entities involved in circumventing the international sanctions regime on Russia.
“The United States continues to root out illicit financial networks that seek to channel support from North Korea to Russia’s war machine,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “Alongside our allies and partners, we remain committed to exposing and disrupting the arms trade underpinning Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine.”
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