Major disagreements among the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) have put the future of the expert group tasked with monitoring North Korea sanctions in question, with a growing possibility that Russia will refuse to extend the Panel’s mandate, informed U.N. sources have told NK News.

The UNSC is scheduled to vote on Friday on whether to extend the mandate of the U.N. Panel of Experts, which produces in-depth reports on DPRK sanctions violations twice per year.

But the severity of the impasse between Security Council members could bring an end to the Panel’s work, which would