North Korea has difficulty accessing the ‘international financial network’ through Russia… ‘Strong sanctions’ still needed

Russia's banking ties with North Korea are not entirely new, but perhaps more brazen. The UN Panel of Experts for North Korea has long documented Russia's failure to close accounts held by North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank — a UN designated entity… Overall, I think this is just another piece of evidence that Russia is in serious violation of its international commitments. I also think that it exposes other countries that may have close economic ties with to potential North Korean sanctions evasion risks, via Russia.