The Japanese government has imposed sanctions against one Russian and nine legal entities from Russia for arms supplies from the DPRK. The list is published on the website of the Japanese Foreign Ministry.
The restrictions included Transmorflot, M-Leasing, the Asia shipping company, Eastern Stevedoring Company, a naval missile complex in the seaside village of Danube, the Vladimirovka research complex, and the Ashuluk training ground , “224th Flying Detachment” and its general director Vladimir Mikheychik, as well as military unit 25969. In addition, Japan included the Cypriot companies IBEX Shipping and Azia Shipping on the sanctions list.
The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Japanese government “strongly condemns” Russia’s purchase of weapons from the DPRK, since it violates UN Security Council resolutions and “could lead to a further deterioration of the situation in Ukraine.”
Canada imposed sanctions against Mikheychik and his “224th flight detachment”, as well as against the companies “Asia”, Azia Shipping and “Transmorflot” due to the transportation of weapons from the DPRK. According to the Canadian Foreign Ministry, they participated in the transportation of ballistic missiles that Russian troops are using in the war against Ukraine.
Representatives of Western countries have been talking about the fact that Russia is purchasing shells and missiles from the DPRK for the war with Ukraine since the fall of 2022. Neither Moscow nor Pyongyang recognized this. In January 2024, the Guardian newspaper published images of Russian ships being loaded, presumably with artillery shells, in a North Korean port. In February, the New York Times reported that Russia had released $9 of $30 million in frozen North Korean assets in response to arms sales.