US Faces Heightened Risk From Russia, North Korea, Treasury Financing Report Finds

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States faces heightened risk from Russia, which is trying to acquire goods with military applications, the U.S. Treasury Department said in fresh National Risk Assessments on Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Proliferation Financing released on Wednesday.

Russia has expanded efforts to illegally buy U.S.-origin goods that could be used for military purposes – hiding transactions using obfuscation techniques such as front companies and transshipment points – to support Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, the department said in a statement.

The United States also faces heightened risk from North Korea, the Treasury Department said, as networks linked to Pyongyang increasingly exploit the digital economy, including through hacking virtual asset service providers.

The reports detail updates to the U.S. anti-money laundering and counterfinancing of terrorism framework, and explain changes to the illicit finance risk environment, the department said.

“Whether it’s terrorism, drug trafficking, Russian aggression, or corruption, illicit finance is the common thread across our nation’s biggest national security threats,” Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian Nelson said in the statement.

The report includes ways Hamas exploits the international financial system, including through solicitation of funds from witting and unwitting donors, the Treasury Department said.

The United States has sought to cut off funding for the group after its deadly attack on Israel in October.

The proliferation of domestic violent extremist movements also pose more threats to the United States, the department said.

(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis. Editing by Gerry Doyle)

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