Russia Delivers Over a Million Barrels of Oil to North Korea, Breaking UN Sanctions

Since March, Russia has reportedly supplied North Korea with over a million barrels of oil, according to an analysis conducted by the UK-based research group Open Source Centre in collaboration with the BBC. Satellite imagery provided by the BBC revealed that North Korean oil tankers made 43 visits to an oil terminal in Russia's Far East over the past eight months, with some tankers arriving empty and leaving nearly full.

The shipments, which are part of an arrangement for weapons and troops from North Korea sent to assist Russia in its ongoing war in Ukraine, violate UN sanctions. These sanctions prohibit the sale of oil to North Korea, except in small quantities, as part of efforts to restrict its economy and curb its nuclear weapons development.