US Sanctions Two Russians Accused of Converting $5.5M in Crypto for North Korea

The US Treasury sanctioned 10 individuals and one entity on October 28 over North Korea’s IT worker schemes, including two Russians accused of converting about $5.5 million in cryptocurrency for North Korean networks. The Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control identified Vitold Viktorovich Obertas as a Russian intermediary who allegedly converted nearly $2 million in crypto for North Korean officials since January 2025 and handled at least $1.25 million in other currency transactions. It said Ilya Boykov allegedly converted about $3.5 million in crypto for North Korean company Alis since 2024. Chainalysis traced Obertas’s wallet to Amnokgang, an IT worker firm sanctioned on March 12, and Boykov’s funds to Garantex, a Russian exchange under US sanctions since April 2022.