The United States has blacklisted a network accused of aiding financial payments between Russia and North Korea, two isolated countries that have grown financially and militarily closer amid the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States imposed sanctions on Thursday on a network of five groups and one person, based in Russia and the Georgian region of South Ossetia, for enabling payments between Russia and North Korea, the Treasury Department said.

Concerns over deepening military cooperation between Russia and North Korea over war in Ukraine. Russian lawmaker warns Ukrainian strikes on Russia would lead to nuclear war 15:50 A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday said that Ukrainian strikes on Russia with western weapons would lead to nuclear war and that Moscow’s response would be tough with more powerful weapons.

North Korea sent its foreign minister to Russia for her second trip in less than a year to the major backer of Kim Jong Un’s regime. The move comes as Pyongyang readies for a parliamentary meeting that will likely approve measures that raise tensions with South Korea.

North Korea launched several ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Wednesday, South Korea's military said, the isolated regime's second launch in less than a week as tensions ramp up on the Korean Peninsula.

A senior Russian official visited Iran on Tuesday, likely to bolster missile supplies, experts said. His visit came days after a trip to North Korea.

Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in Iran on an unannounced visit just days after he held talks in Pyongyang with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.