Refined Tastes: Russian Oil Deliveries to Pyongyang Breach the Million Barrel Mark

As North Korean troops are committed to the battle in Kursk, new analysis by the Open Source Centre (OSC) and BBC News shows Russia has likely delivered over a million barrels of petroleum to North Korea.

Over an eight month period, the OSC analysed hundreds of satellite images to track dozens of North Korean tankers shuttling between the Russian port of Vostochny and facilities in North Korea, identifying over 40 trips by Pyongyang’s oiler fleet.

The delivery of large quantities of refined oil products in violation of UN sanctions provides a critical lifeline for North Korea, which has struggled to import petroleum supplies after UN sanctions capped the country’s imports in 2016 after the country’s last nuclear test.

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. Test