Contrary to the sanctions of the UN: Russia has started direct supply of oil to the DPRK - FT (photo)

At least five North Korean tankers have left the Port of the East in the Far East of Russia this month with petroleum products, as shown by satellite images provided by the British Analytical Center of Royal United Services Institute (Rusi). Since the beginning of March 7 this year, the first documented direct sea supply of oil from Russia to North Korea began.

This happened after the UN Security Council, with the consent of Moscow, introduced strict restrictions on oil supply in 2017 in response to Nuclear tests conducted by Pyongyang. "These oil supplies are a full -scale attack on the sanctions regime, which is now on the verge of collapse," Guy Guiffiths, a former UN group coordinator, said, followed by North Korea sanctions.

All vessels, registered under the flag of North Korea and classified as tankers for transportation of petroleum products, were rolled up to the same pier in the port of the Eastern, owned by the Russian oil company. Obviously, this was the operation of oil loading. Satellite images confirmed that two ships then left the Port East to the North Korean port of Chondjin, where they apparently unloaded.

"The vessels we saw on the Russian terminals are one of the vessels of the largest capacity in the North Korea Navy, and vessels are constantly entering the port and leaving it. Some of these vessels are also included in the UN list, which means that they do not even It is possible to allow enrollment in foreign ports, not to mention that they are engaged in oil supplies, " - said Joseph Burne, a researcher of Rusi.

Deliveries began after North Korea began to send thousands of ammunition containers to Russia last August. According to military experts, these deliveries have significantly strengthened Moscow's military capabilities, in particular in the context of events in Ukraine. According to Rusi, the Eastern port was also used as a transit node for Russian ships, which are likely to be involved in arms trade between the two countries.

Earlier, the media reported that the terminal in Turkey refused to receive oil from the Russian Federation. According to journalists, threats from the United States to impose sanctions on financial companies conducting business from the Russian Federation have led to cooling of Turkish-Russian trade. On February 13, it became known that the Russian Federation blocked part of the fleet for transportation of oil.