Western sanctions have crippled supplies of some crucial products in Russia.

Yet the Russian economy has so far survived Western sanctions better than many economists expected.

The US has sanctioned major military industrial firms in Russia and cut off exports of American-made components and US technologies that have been used in some of Russia's military hardware.

The protests, triggered by the Sept 16 death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody, mark one of the boldest challenges to the Islamic Republic since the 1979 revolution.

The frozen assets are a combination of shareholdings in companies and cash held in bank accounts.

Last week the country fired more than 80 missiles, including its latest short-range ballistic missiles and a new variant of intercontinental ballistic missile, by far the North's most launches in such a short period.

Instead, North Korea's ballistic missile programme has become stronger and it has carried out a record-breaking testing regime of multiple types of weapons this year – including of intercontinental ballistic missiles designed to reach the US mainland.

Businessman Kwek Kee Seng is blamed for numerous fuel deliveries to North Korea and ship-to-ship transfers as well as money laundering through front companies.

The payments come after pledges from some Western governments to make targeting the luxury assets of allies of Russia's President Vladimir Putin central to their efforts to punish Moscow.

The proposed sale of the MySky yacht comes amid concerns from Western governments and campaigners that billionaires are able to work around a patchwork of sanctions targeting their luxury assets such as yachts.

It says sanctions are aimed at Russia's government, 'not the Russian people themselves'.

China has fired missiles over the island and sailed warships across their unofficial sea frontier after US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in what Beijing saw as a provocation.