US Sanctions Firms, Individuals in Russia, China & North Korea for Alleged Arms Proliferation

"The United States today announced sanctions on five entities and individuals located in Russia and the DPRK and one entity in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for proliferation activities under the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA)," the State Department said in a press release on Thursday.

The sanctions targeted Russian entities Ardis Group and PFK Profpodshipnik along with Russian individual Igor Aleksandrovich Michurin. It also included sanctions against North Korean entity Second Academy of Natural Science Foreign Affairs Bureau (SANS FAB) and individual Ri Sung Chol (aka Ri Su’ng-ch’o’l) for allegedly transferring sensitive items to North Korea’s missile program, the release added.

China's Zhengzhou Nanbei Instrument Equipment was added for allegedly supplying Syria with equipment controlled by the Australia Group chemical and biological weapons nonproliferation regime, according to the release.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said in his statement that the imposition of sanctions against China entities "calls attention to the role of PRC entities in proliferation and shortcomings in the PRC’s implementation of export controls and its nonproliferation track record."

Earlier, the North Korean state news agency reported that the nation had successfully tested the Hwasong-17 intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time since its introduction in 2017. The launch was said to have been personally attended by the country's leader, Kim Jong Un.