The U.S. has sanctioned three companies owned by a Slovakian national for their alleged role in facilitating arms deals between North Korea and Russia for use in the war against Ukraine.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation of Moscow-based Limited Liability Company Verus (Verus), Kazakhstan-based Defense Engineering Limited Liability Partnership (Defense Engineering) and Bratislava-based Versor S.R.O. (Versor) in a press release Wednesday.

All three companies are owned by previously sanctioned Slovakian national Ashot Mkrtychev.

Washington’s blacklisting of the three companies is part of efforts to disrupt support for Russia’s invasion, the Treasury said. It