Political, economic and military cooperation between Russia and DPRK has led to massive violations of UN sanctions by both sides and undermined non-proliferation efforts previously supported by Moscow.
The withdrawal by Russia from UN Security Council Resolution 1718 Panel of Experts in early 2024 – set up to monitor sanctions on North Korea following six nuclear tests – left the international community without a means to report on DPRK sanctions violations. The Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team was formed by Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, UK and United States to continue that work, but the signing of the DPRK-Russia Treaty on Comprehensive Strategic Partnership and growing military cooperation between the two has resulted in multiple ongoing violations to sanctions on both Russia and DPRK.
To support its war in Ukraine, Russia has received around 20,000 container loads of ballistic missiles, military vehicles including self-propelled guns and multiple rocket launchers, and around nine million rounds of munitions. An estimated 14,000 North Korean soldiers are also believed to be active in Ukraine.
For its part, DPRK gains extensive testing and feedback for its weapons as well as battleground training for military personnel. It has received air defense and advanced electronic warfare systems, technical support for its spy satellite program, access to the international banking system via ruble accounts in Georgia, and refined petroleum products estimated to be double those permitted by the relevant UN resolutions.
