Russia Exports Oil to North Korea in Violation of UN Sanctions

Russia has exported Oil to North Korea, most likely as payment for soldiers and weapons (Wikimedia Commons).

Russia sent oil to North Korea, indicating a possible lift of North Korean sanctions, BBC reported in early November. David Lammy, the U.K. Foreign Secretary, believes that the oil was payment for the soldiers North Korea sent to Ukraine to fight alongside Russian troops. 

The Open Source Center documented the first oil shipment on March 7th, seven months after North Korea first sent Russia weapons to aid in its war against Ukraine. Lloyd Austin, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, said he was sure that “Putin and Kim have been secretly negotiating” the oil transfers. Russia has sent North Korea oil approximately 43 times over the past eight months. According to information from U.S. satellites, North Korean ships arrived at Russia’s Vostochny port “high on water”, and left “low on water,” indicating that the mass of the ship increased. However, according to an investment by Open Data Center, Russia’s oil exports to North Korea have decreased after peaking in April.

Russia has used its permanent position on the UN Security Council to override sanctions on North Korea. For example, Russia disabled the UN group that monitors whether states are executing sanctions on North Korea. In the recent vote to renew the oil blockade on North Korea, 13 out of the other 14 states voted yes, with only Russia abstaining.

Many U.S. allies have responded negatively to Russia’s abstention. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russia’s abstention against the blockage “signals a guilty plea,” meaning Russia is sending oil to North Korea. South Korea’s ambassador to the UN, Hwang Joon-kook, characterized Russia’s abstention as “destroying a security camera to avoid being caught red-handed”