Canada sanctions Russian companies accused of shipping North Korea weapons to Ukraine

OTTAWA — Canada has again sanctioned Russians and companies it says are supporting Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions apply to two men and six shipping companies that Ottawa says have “facilitated the illegal transportation of weapons, including ballistic missiles, from North Korea to Russia.”

Global Affairs Canada says these entities procured weapons used in Ukraine this year and last year, which would violate global sanctions against North Korea.

Ottawa alleges the companies are closely linked with the Russian military and involved in transporting the weapons, and so they are banned from financial dealings with Canadians.

Canada has sanctioned more than 3,000 people and entities in Eastern Europe tied to the 2014 Russian incursion into Ukraine and the full-scale invasion in 2022.

A Senate report says it’s difficult to track whether Canada’s sanctions on individuals are being enforced, or whether Ottawa has clearly articulated goals when it lays the sanctions.

Last week, the RCMP updated its data on frozen funds and blocked transactions related to personal sanctions, and it showed little changed since last September.

Sanctions against Russian nationals since late February 2022 have seen $140 million frozen in Canada, up from $136 million last fall.

Canada had also blocked $317 million transactions, up from $305 million.

The most recent figures show $116,000 held by Belarusian nationals have been frozen, compared to zero funds as of last September.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2024.

The Canadian Press