Russia has allegedly started supplying North Korea with oil directly for the first time since 2017, thus defying sanctions implemented by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), the Financial Times reported.
According to satellite images shared with the news agency by the Royal United Services Institute, at least five North Korean tankers collected oil from Vostochny Port in Russia’s Far East, with the first shipment supposedly taking place on March 7. The satellite imagery further revealed that two of the tankers sailed back to the North Korean port of Chongjin to supposedly unload the oil.
The UNSC's 2017 sanctions limit the amount of oil that North Korea can import to 500,000 barrels per year and deliveries can be considered compliant only if they are reported to a UN sanctions committee.
