On Oct. 28, the U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 10 individuals and one organization involved in fraudulent schemes carried out by North Korean IT workers. Two Russian citizens, Vitold Obertas and Ilya Boykov, were hit with restrictions, along with eight citizens of North Korea. Washington says that the money obtained through the identified schemes was used to finance North Korea’s ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs.
According to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), North Korean IT workers get jobs at American and other foreign companies using fake documents, stolen personal data, and fictitious identities. Most of the income these workers receive is seized by North Korean authorities and sent to finance military programs. In addition, North Koreans who gain access to various corporate networks use their positions to steal confidential data and plant malicious software. Intermediaries help North Koreans move money as part of these schemes.
The Treasury named Russian national Vitold Obertas as one such intermediary. Acting on behalf of the North Korean company Amnokgang Technology Development Company (Amnokgang), which was already sanctioned by the U.S., Obertas carried out cryptocurrency conversions worth about $2 million, along with other currency transactions worth $1.25 million.
A full namesake of the sanctioned Vitold Viktorovich Obertas appears in various Russian public registries. According to RBC Companies, a person with that name was registered as an individual entrepreneur in Primorsky Territory on July 16, 2009. His main line of business was listed as fishing, but other spheres of activity included cargo handling, manufacturing of household appliances, and repair of personal and household goods. His individual entrepreneur status was terminated on Nov. 22, 2025. It is also known that Obertas headed AS-Holder LLC (liquidated in 2023) and worked at other companies connected with maritime shipping and security services.
According to OFAC, the other Russian national, Ilya Boykov, has been helping LLC Alis, which is linked to North Korea’s Chinyong Information Technology Cooperation Company. The U.S. Treasury alleges that Boykov handled cryptocurrency exchange, transaction tracking, and logistical support, and that the total amount of cryptocurrency transactions carried out with his help amounted to around $3.5 million.
Also sanctioned was the First Financial and Technical Development Center (FFTDC), an organization that, according to the U.S. Treasury, is located in Russia and controlled by North Korean authorities. The center allegedly laundered money using cryptocurrency. Six North Koreans working in Russia have earned more than $750,000 for the organization since 2025. All of them were included on the sanctions list by name.
