The United States, along with 10 allied nations, has raised serious accusations against Russia and North Korea, claiming their military cooperation is in blatant violation of U.N. sanctions and significantly contributes to Russia’s missile campaigns in Ukraine.
This is evidenced in a comprehensive report delivered by the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, which consists of representatives from the U.S., Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
The report was released following Russia’s veto of a U.N. Security Council resolution in March 2024 that aimed to extend monitoring efforts by a panel of experts who have tracked Pyongyang’s sanction breaches since 2010.
Spanning 29 pages, the report outlines extensive evidence showing that North Korea and Russia have participated in numerous illicit activities that U.N. sanctions explicitly forbid.
Among the findings, the report indicates that North Korea has facilitated the delivery of military resources to Russia—including artillery, ballistic missiles, and combat vehicles—by various means such as sea, air, and rail.
Furthermore, Russian forces are reported to have provided training for North Korean troops as they assist Moscow in its ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
In exchange, Russia reportedly has transferred air defense systems to North Korea and supplied refined petroleum products to Pyongyang, far exceeding the annual limits set under existing U.N. sanctions.
The document asserts that this cooperation not only bolsters Russia’s capabilities in its military operations, allowing for increased missile strikes on Ukrainian cities, but also aids North Korea in financing its own military and missile development initiatives.
The team cited evidence that North Korea has dispatched over 11,000 soldiers to Russia since October 2024, providing these troops with vital combat experience.
The report addresses the period from January 1, 2024, to April 30, 2025, and suggests a trend towards even deeper military collaboration between Russia and North Korea in the foreseeable future.
An unnamed source within the team indicated that North Korean cargo vessels, flying Russian flags, delivered as many as 9 million rounds of ammunition for artillery and multiple rocket systems to Russia throughout 2024.
Images included in the report purportedly document the movement of munitions from ports in both countries and an ammunition depot within Russia.
Additionally, the report claims that North Korea transferred at least 100 ballistic missiles to Russia in the previous year, which were then utilized in strikes targeted at civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, specifically in locations such as Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia.
The evidence also points to the provision of three brigade sets of heavy artillery elements from North Korea to Russia.
Among the visual documentation, a North Korean 170mm self-propelled gun is shown being transported through Russian territory, alongside assorted North Korean munitions discovered in Ukraine.
In a collective statement, the Multinational Sanctions Monitoring Team affirmed its commitment to continue monitoring compliance with U.N. resolutions and to highlight ongoing attempts to breach these punitive measures.
The team urged North Korea to pursue meaningful diplomatic dialogue as a path forward.
Sanctions against North Korea were first imposed after its inaugural nuclear test explosion in 2006, with additional measures implemented over the years in 10 different resolutions, all aimed at curbing its nuclear ambitions and ballistic missile programs.
The most recent sanctions resolution was passed in December 2017.
In May 2022, both China and Russia vetoed a U.S.-backed resolution that sought to impose further sanctions in response to continued intercontinental ballistic missile launches, effectively stalling any additional U.N. actions against North Korea.
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