Satellite images reveal Russia delivering oil to North Korea in exchange for troops
An investigation by the Open Source Centre claims that Russia has likely delivered more than a million barrels of oil to North Korean authorities.
Vladímir Putin y Kim Jong Un, en Pyongyang
Open Source Centre, a non-profit research group based in the United Kingdom, published a series of satellite images that tracked dozens of North Korean oil tankers moving between the Russian port of Vostochny and facilities in North Korea, identifying more than 40 trips by Pyongyang's oil fleet.
According to the investigation, Russia has likely delivered more than one million barrels of oil to North Korea. The Russian government did not respond to BBC's request for comment.
">Since March, evidence shows at least 43 North Korean tankers, many already under international sanctions, have loaded oil at a Russian port sanctioned by the UK and US.
— Open Source Centre (@osc_london) November 22, 2024
These shipments provide a critical lifeline for North Korea, whose petroleum supplies have been constrained… pic.twitter.com/qRwHrQ7XHo
The report detailed that the first documented oil transfer took place on March 7, 2024, seven months after it first became known that Pyongyang was shipping weapons to Moscow.
"The shipments have continued as thousands of North Korean troops are reported to have been sent to Russia to fight, with the last one recorded on 5 November," the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, Joe Byrne of the Open Source Centre, argued that this is an exchange that has become a lifeline for both Russia and North Korea.
"While Kim Jong Un is providing Vladimir Putin with a lifeline to continue his war, Russia is quietly providing North Korea with a lifeline of its own," Byrne said.
Open Source Centre recalled that the delivery of large quantities of refined petroleum products is a violation of United Nations sanctions.
">At the same time, the flow of weapons from North Korea to Russia continues. Satellite imagery from Maxar shows the sanctioned vessel ANGARA loading military material in North Korea—further evidence of the ongoing arms trade. pic.twitter.com/k0jM3ks37Q
— Open Source Centre (@osc_london) November 22, 2024
It argued that it also provides a critical lifeline for North Korea, which has struggled to import oil supplies after UN sanctions limited the country's imports in 2016 following the country's latest nuclear test.
"North Korea is the only country in the world not allowed to buy oil on the open market. The number of barrels of refined petroleum it can receive is capped by the United Nations at 500,000 annually, well below the amount it needs," BBC explained.
The investigation reported that "The deliveries also underscore the growing rapprochement between Moscow and Pyongyang since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and help provide an answer to questions surrounding North Korea’s decision to supply munitions and troops to Russia."
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