North Korea seizes on Russian isolation to deepen ties with Putin

Aaron Arnold, a counterproliferation expert at the Royal United Services Institute think-tank who has served on a UN panel monitoring North Korean sanctions violations, said the acquisition of artillery or use of labour constituted “serious violations” of sanctions. But he added that Russia had never been fully committed to enforcing the measures. “Russia has been in violation of sanctions on North Korea for years,” said Arnold. “These are egregious violations that have been documented and widely publicised.”