The U.S. has placed sanctions on a network of five groups and one individual in Russia and South Ossetia for facilitating illicit payments between Russia and North Korea. This move aims to curtail North Korea's WMD programs and Russia's unlawful activities in Ukraine.

The United States has imposed sanctions against individuals and entities involved in illegal financial transactions between Russia and North Korea, according to the US Department of the Treasury. As noted by the agency,

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 U.S. remains strongly committed to leveraging all our available tools to disrupt this and other schemes intended to support Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and enable (North Korea's) illicit access to the international financial system,

The United States on Thursday announced sanctions against five entities and one individual based in Russia and a Russian-occupied Georgian region for their alleged involvement in a sanctions evasion scheme to support Pyongyang and Moscow.