South Korean Fuel Reached Russia on Sanctioned Tankers, Ukraine Confirms

Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry confirmed on October 7 that fuel from South Korea was transported to Russia aboard sanctioned tankers and that Kyiv had raised the issue with Seoul.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi confirmed the shipments during a briefing in response to a question from Hromadske.

“I can confirm that, as part of closed diplomatic communication, the Korean side acknowledged this fact, which we also saw in the press, but we also have our own data about such activity,” Tykhyi stated.

Ukraine raised concerns with South Korean officials and requested an explanation for the shipments, Tykhyi noted. He added that Kyiv and Seoul were continuing closed diplomatic discussions aimed at improving bilateral relations.

The talks also concern tensions following the disclosure of information about the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Tykhyi described differing interpretations of confidentiality arrangements as the reason for the exchange of critical public statements.

The confirmation follows a Guardian investigation published on October 5 that found more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, moved from South Korean ports to Russia in July and August.

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Seven tankers made 14 voyages to Russia’s Far East, including three vessels sanctioned by the UK and EU. One shipment involved a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters.

The Guardian noted that the trade did not appear to violate South Korean law, while the ownership of the fuel and its sellers remained unclear.

South Korean fuel already surfaced in Russia's supply chain weeks earlier, after Ukrainian retaliatory strikes on Russian refineries cut aviation fuel output and pushed Moscow to temporarily ban its own jet fuel exports.

By late August, three shadow-fleet tankers delivered about 70,000 metric tons of Jet A-1 from South Korea and Egypt to ports in St. Petersburg and Vladivostok. The fuel is suitable for military aircraft, including the Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-57, as well as Tu-95MS strategic bombers. The South Korean supply chain ran through UAE-based Caliph Energy Trading FZE.

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