Patent law doesn't work against a sovereign state.
So yes, they probably violate the GPL.
Re:Ethernet over barbed wire
by ringaroundthetx on Tuesday December 12, 2017 @10:53PM
(#15911896)
sanctions have no power here
Blockchain networks have no capability of this concept
[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwangmyong_(network)