Russia started direct oil supplies to DPRK despite of UN sanctions
Russia has begun supplying oil directly to North Korea in defiance of UN sanctions, further strengthening ties between the authoritarian regimes and dealing a new blow to international efforts to contain Pyongyang.
This was reported by the Financial Times.
At least five North Korean tankers have left the port of Vostochny in Russia's Far East this month with oil products, according to satellite images provided to the Financial Times by the British think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
The shipments, which began on March 7, are the first documented direct maritime deliveries from Russia since the UN Security Council - with Moscow's approval - imposed severe restrictions on oil supplies in 2017 in response to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons test.
According to Hugh Griffiths, former coordinator of the UN team that monitors sanctions on North Korea , these oil shipments are a full-scale attack on the sanctions regime, which is now on the verge of collapse.
All of the North Korean-flagged vessels, classified as oil tankers, approached the same Russian oil company's berth at Vostochny port, where they loaded.
Satellite imagery confirmed that the two ships then sailed from Vostochny Port to the North Korean port of Cheongyang, where they unloaded. According to Joseph Byrne, a researcher at RUSI, the ships seen at the Russian terminals are some of the largest capacity vessels in the North Korean navy, and ships are constantly coming in and out of the port. Some of these vessels are also on the UN list, which means they shouldn't even be allowed to call at foreign ports, let alone be involved in oil shipments.
The shipments came after North Korea began shipping thousands of containers of ammunition to Russia last August, which military experts believe contributed significantly to Moscow's military efforts in Ukraine. According to RUSI, the port of Vostochny has also been used as a transshipment point for Russian vessels that are likely involved in arms trafficking between the two countries.
"What we are seeing now is a clear arms-for-oil barter arrangement that openly violates sanctions that Vladimir Putin personally signed, illustrating the trajectory of Russia's path in recent years to becoming a rogue state," Griffiths said.
