PYONGYANG (dpa-AFX) - Russia has likely delivered more than a million barrels of petroleum to North Korea since March, UK-based non-profit research group Open Source Center said, based on satellite imagery analysis.
Over an eight month period, the OSC analyzed 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 oil cargo fleet, Open Source Center said.
The delivery of large quantities of refined oil products 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.
If confirmed. this will amount to violation of UN sanctions, which restricts countries from selling oil to North Korea, aimed at stifling its economy and prevent it from proceeding with the development of nuclear weapons.
The report comes as Russia leans on thousands of North Korean troops to fill out its ranks. The Pentagon said earlier this week that nearly 11,000 North Korean troops have moved into Russia's Kursk Region, ready to combat in the warfront along Russian troops.
North Korea is one of very few countries that support Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and its ongoing war against its neighbor.
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