The Japanese government has imposed sanctions on ten entities and individuals, including 224th Flight Unit (TTF, Bryansk), over Russia's procurement of arms from North Korea, which are allegedly being used to arm Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
224th Flight Unit State Airlines Joint Stock Company and its general director, Vladimir Mikheychik (a.k.a. Vladimir Mikheichik), were named in the May 24 order. The sanctions, tagged as asset freezes, include restrictions on payments and capital transactions. Japan's Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act facilitated the imposition of the sanctions.
According to ch-aviation fleets data, 224th Flight Unit operates a fleet of 13 aircraft, including two An-124s, five An-124-100s, and six Il-76MDs. It is a state-owned airline under the authority of the Russian Air Force (Voyenno-Vozdushnye Sily Rossii (Kubinka)), and its website says it specialises in the air transportation of "unique, large-sized cargo." Ukraine, France, and the United States have already blacklisted both the unit and Mikheychik, the US accusing them of ferrying North Korean-manufactured ballistic missiles and missile-related cargo into Russia in 2023.
