Russia Quietly Violates UN Sanctions: Secret Refined Petroleum Shipments to North Korea Revealed

Russia quietly ships refined petroleum to North Korea, potentially violating UN sanctions.
Disbandment of UN panel overseeing North Korea sanctions follows Russian veto.
US vows sanctions against those facilitating arms and oil transfers between Russia and North Korea.

EKO HOT BLOG reports that Russia has been clandestinely transporting refined petroleum to North Korea, potentially breaching the limitations set by the United Nations Security Council, as disclosed by the White House on Thursday.

Editor’s Pick

This revelation followed the disbandment of a U.N. panel tasked with overseeing sanctions against North Korea, due to a Russian veto

The announcement coincided with a report of a London-listed firm’s first-quarter profit reaching $7.7 billion.

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby highlighted that while Moscow blocked the renewal of the panel’s mandate, it continued petroleum shipments from Port Vostochny to North Korea, allegedly surpassing the sanctioned limits.

Kirby noted that in March alone, over 165,000 barrels of refined petroleum were shipped from Russia to North Korea, suggesting that such transactions could persist indefinitely given the close proximity of Russian and North Korean ports.

The U.S. has expressed its intention to enforce sanctions against those facilitating arms and petroleum transfers between Russia and North Korea.

In March, the U.S. and South Korea launched a joint task force aimed at preventing North Korea from acquiring illicit oil.

Moreover, accusations have been made against North Korea for transferring weapons to Russia, purportedly for use against Ukraine, although both Moscow and Pyongyang deny these claims.

Nevertheless, they have pledged to strengthen military cooperation.