Russia Sends Over 1 Million Barrels of Oil to North Korea in Exchange for Military Aid

Since March of this year, Russia has delivered more than 1 million barrels (56,000 tons) of oil to North Korea, according to a report by the British research organization Open Source Centre, which analyzed satellite imagery.

Experts, including British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, told the BBC they believe the oil shipments are part of a trade deal in which Moscow is paying Pyongyang for weapons and military support to aid Russia’s war in Ukraine.

The satellite analysis, shared with the BBC, reveals that over the past 8 months, more than a dozen North Korean tankers have made 43 trips between a Russian oil terminal on the Far East coast and North Korean ports. Images show the tankers arriving empty and returning loaded with oil.

The first documented shipment took place on March 7, 2024, 7 months after reports first emerged of North Korea supplying ammunition to Russia. The latest shipment occurred on November 5.

Joe Byrne, senior analyst at Open Source Centre, commented that the steady flow of oil is providing North Korea with a level of stability it hasn't seen since international sanctions were imposed on the country.

Due to its nuclear program, North Korea is subject to UN sanctions, which limit its annual oil imports to no more than 500,000 barrels. The 1 million barrels of oil mentioned by Open Source Centre represent a relatively small amount for Russia, which officially produces nearly 10 times that amount in a single day.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request from the BBC for comment on the findings.

It was previously reported that the European Union is in the process of drafting a new set of sanctions aimed at targeting Russia’s shadow fleet of tankers, which Moscow uses to bypass restrictions and sell its oil on the global market.