Satellite images have reportedly revealed that Russia has supplied North Korea with over one million barrels of oil since March, violating United Nations sanctions that restrict oil sales to North Korea.
These transfers are part of a broader arrangement in which North Korea sends weapons, artillery shells, and even troops to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine, the BBC reports.
The oil deliveries, tracked by the UK-based Open Source Centre, are seen as a direct quid pro quo for North Korea’s military support, with the oil serving to fuel Pyongyang’s own operations and provide stability amid ongoing sanctions.
According to satellite imagery analyzed by UK-based non-profit research group the Open Source Centre and shared exclusively with the BBC, North Korean oil tankers have made 43 trips to Russia’s Far East, with vessels arriving empty and leaving full.
Despite UN sanctions capping the amount of oil North Korea can receive at 500,000 barrels per year, Russia’s illicit shipments have far exceeded this limit, with experts estimating more than a million barrels have been supplied since March.
The BBC added that these transfers not only breach UN sanctions but also involve ships that are themselves under sanction, some of which should have been impounded upon entering Russian waters, citing Go Myong-hyun, a senior research fellow at South Korea’s Institute for National Security Strategy.
The situation marks a new level of contempt for international regulations, as Russia has actively circumvented the UN panel responsible for monitoring such violations, disbanding it through its veto at the Security Council in March.
Experts worry this cooperation between two autocratic regimes may lead to even more dangerous collaborations, potentially involving military technology transfers that could further destabilize the region, the BBC adds.
While the oil deliveries provide crucial fuel for North Korea’s military, which relies on oil for its missile launchers and munitions factories, concerns are growing over the potential for more military technology exchanges, particularly in satellite and ballistic missile advancements.
Both the US and South Korea are closely monitoring the evolving ties between Russia and North Korea, with the possibility of these exchanges further threatening global security.
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