Russia Violates UN Sanctions by Discreetly Supplying Over 1 Million Barrels of Oil to North Korea

The timeline suggested that Russia's illegal oil supply to North Korea was payment for weapons and troops sent to Ukraine.

By Thea Felicity

Nov 22 2024, 09:15 AM EST

Sateliite image of Russia giving N. Korea oil — A satellite image taken from The Canadian Armed Forces sanctions patrol team showing a North Korea tanker receiving oil from Russia. Screenshot from BBC's Official Report entitled "Satellite images show Russia giving N Korea oil, breaking sanctions" by Jean Mackenzie.

North Korea was found receiving a supply of oil from Russia, thanks to satellite imagery, for 7 months.

However, the exchange was not a usual one as it breached UN sanctions of oil restriction to North Korea to cripple its nuclear weapons program as well as militarization.

In a report by BBC, Russia supplied the country with millions of barrels of oil since March of this year, which the UN remarked as illegal. As a result, North Korea's oil consumption already outweighed its legal limit, which should be 500,000 barrels set by the UN.

This has meant that the nation has had to resort to illicit channels to procure oil for itself, with ship-to-ship transfer in international waters being one of the risky means of oil procurement. The shipment, estimated over a million barrels, is a direct response to the support North Korea has been transporting into Russia in the form of weapons and soldiers, which have been provided to Russia by North Korea since March 2024 as well.

These deliveries happen regularly as oil tankers make their way back and forth between North Korean ports and Russia's Vostochny Port.

Open Source Centre, a research organization based in the UK, has been monitoring these oil shipments through satellite imagery. They found that North Korean tankers arrive at Russian ports with their tracking systems off, hiding their actions. After the oil is loaded, these tankers return to North Korea.

According to experts, this stable flow of oil provides North Korea with the stability it needs to continue its military activities, which it could not sustain without these illicit oil supplies.

Russia and North Korea Relations

These oil shipments are a significant act of defiance against international sanctions, Reuters reported, considering Russia is a permanent member of the UN Security Council and would have participated in voting to authorize these sanctions.

In the same month Russia was first seen supplying N. Korea oil, it also exercised its veto power to dissolve the UN panel that monitored sanctions violations, thereby demonstrating a new level of disdain for international regulations.

This change in policy allows Russia and North Korea to continue their cooperation without international oversight. However, the growing alliance between Russia and North Korea raises concerns about the global security landscape. Beyond oil, there are fears that Russia may be sharing military technology with North Korea, potentially enhancing its missile and satellite capabilities.