Satellite images expose illicit oil smuggling from Russia to North Korea

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Despite international efforts to sanction North Korea for developing weapons of mass destruction, the country continues to receive illicit supplies of refined petroleum products. These products are crucial for manufacturing weapons.


A recent analysis using Planet's satellite tasking system has revealed North Korea's involvement in an organized criminal network to obtain fuel in violation of international sanctions. The network relies on a complex and convoluted shipping system.


At the center of this operation is the tanker "Diamond 8." Satellite imagery shows how fuel is transferred from one ship to another, eventually arriving in North Korean ports. This secretive supply chain allows North Korea to bypass international sanctions and continue developing its weapons program.


"It's a constant game of cat and mouse and they are always trying to stay ahead. You cannot see what they are doing without satellite data," Lauren Sung, an analyst at The Center for Advanced Defense Studies said.


According to the BBC, it is estimated that Russia has been supplying more than a million barrels of oil to North Korea, as a payment for the troops they have received from them for the war in Ukraine.


North Korea is the only country that cannot buy oil on the open market and the number of barrels it can receive is capped at 500,000 by the UN.


It is against UN sanctions to transfer or sell oil to North Korea except in small quantities, in order to make sure they do not develop nuclear weapons and the satellite images clearly show violation of the sanctions. Moreover, there are pictures to support the same, where it is visible that the tankers arrive empty and leave full.


"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," Joe Byrne from the Open Source Centre, said.


UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has told the BBC that, "To keep fighting in Ukraine, Russia has become increasingly reliant on North Korea for troops and weapons in exchange for oil."


Since March, North Korea has received more oil from Russia than double the annual cap. 


Dr Go Myong-hyun, a senior research fellow at South Korea's Institute for National Security Strategy, said, "If you're sending your people to die in a foreign war, a million barrels of oil is just not sufficient reward."


Shin Won-sik, Seoul's top security advisor, has said that Russia seems to have helped North Korea with financial and technological support for its space programme.


However, the real concern is what else can be traded between the two countries, since Kim Jong Un has stepped up his support for Russia's war.