North Korea has imported over one million barrels of oil from Russia in the first eight months of this year, exceeding the annual cap set by the United Nations Security Council. This information was revealed on Friday, November 22, through satellite imagery analysis conducted by the UK-based Open Source Center and reported by the BBC, according to Reuters.
The report states that North Korean oil tankers have made more than 40 trips to Russia’s eastern port of Vostochny since March. Evidence, including satellite images, Automatic Identification System (AIS) data, and photographs from maritime patrol missions monitoring sanctions violations, confirms these activities.
The tankers were repeatedly seen collecting oil at the port’s oil terminals, the report added.
Under UN Security Council sanctions, North Korea is allowed to import a maximum of 500,000 barrels of refined petroleum products annually. However, Pyongyang has been accused of continuing oil imports in violation of these restrictions.
Earlier this year, the United States and South Korea established a special task force to curb North Korea’s oil imports. However, ongoing deadlocks within the Security Council have raised concerns about the effectiveness of international sanctions.
Diplomatic and economic ties between North Korea and Russia have deepened recently. In June, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited North Korea, where the two nations agreed on a mutual defense pact.
The growing military cooperation between North Korea and Russia has sparked international concern. The United States, Ukraine, and South Korea have accused North Korea of supplying Russia with military equipment and over 10,000 troops.
Russia’s UN representative, Vasily Nebenzya, denied that its cooperation with North Korea violates international law. Meanwhile, North Korea has not admitted to deploying troops to Russia but stated that any such actions would comply with international legal standards.
