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North Korea Receives 1.5 Million Barrels of Russian Oil in Violation of UN Limits
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Russia has delivered over 1.5 million barrels of oil products to North Korea in 2024, three times the annual import limit set by the United Nations for the country, The Moscow Times reported, citing Russian state media.
Although this is a small volume for Russia, which pumps about 6-7 times more oil daily, the shipments have raised international concern.
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At least 50 tankers have been involved in the operation, making regular trips between the Russian port of Nakhodka and North Korea, covering the roughly 200 km distance. Additionally, the Hasan-Rajin railway, built in the mid-20th century, was used, with an estimated 322,000 barrels of oil passing through it in 2024, according to The Moscow Times.
The deliveries are handled by Toplivno-Bunkernaya Kompaniya (TBK), based in the Russian port of Vostochny. Financial records indicate that TBK is linked to Cypriot company Dolcestar Holdings and has ties to Marat Khusnullin, Russia’s deputy prime minister. TBK was added to the UK’s sanctions list in May 2024 due to its role in an alleged “arms-for-oil” deal between Moscow and Pyongyang.
TBK regularly received payments from Yuzhnaya Zheleznodorozhnaya Ekspeditsiya (YZHE), a company that transferred over $3 million in total, coinciding with oil shipments to North Korea. Payments were processed through two banks, including CMBank and Promsvyazbank, which has defense sector connections. YZHE also took out a loan of nearly a billion rubles from Promsvyazbank in 2024, The Moscow Times wrote.
Oil products for YZHE were supplied by several firms, including Slavyansk EKO of Krasnodar city, partly owned by regional lawmaker Robert Paranyants, and Fortinvest, which has ties to prominent figures in Russia’s oil industry.
The Moscow Times also noted that, additionally, the operation involved smaller companies, such as Inrostopt in Vladivostok, which has shifted from selling food to trading beer and oil products, further illustrating the complex network supporting the illicit oil trade.
Previously, it was reported that Russia plans to allocate nearly $10 million in 2026 for joint oil and gas exploration off the coast of North Korea, marking a new step in energy cooperation between the two heavily sanctioned states.
According to NK News, the initiative targets the deep-water basin of the Sea of Japan, where Moscow hopes to assist Pyongyang in addressing its chronic energy shortages.
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-e027084132fee1ae6b313d8b1d5dfc34.jpg "SBU Reportedly Strikes Russian Oil Platforms for the Second Time This Week in the Caspian Sea")
