Satellite imagery exposes Russia’s smuggling of illegal oil into North Korea

Despite international efforts to impose sanctions on North Korea for developing weapons of mass destruction, the country continues to receive illicit supplies of refined petroleum products. These products are critical for weapons production.

Recent analysis using planets The satellite mission system revealed North Korea’s involvement in an organized crime network to extract fuel in violation of international sanctions. The network relies on a complex and intricate delivery system.

At the center of this operation is the Almaz 8 tanker. Satellite images show fuel being transferred from one ship to another and eventually arriving at North Korean ports. This secret supply chain allows North Korea to bypass international sanctions and continue to develop its weapons program.

“It’s a constant game of cat and mouse and they’re always trying to stay ahead. You can’t see what they’re doing without satellite data,” said Lauren Sang, an analyst at the Center for Defense Advanced Studies.

According to BBCIt is estimated that Russia supplied North Korea with more than a million barrels of oil as payment for the troops it received 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 limited by the UN to 500,000.

Transferring or selling oil to North Korea except in small quantities is prohibited by UN sanctions to ensure they do not develop nuclear weapons, and satellite imagery clearly shows sanctions violations. Moreover, there are photographs confirming the same thing, where it is clear that tankers arrive empty and leave full.

“While Kim Jong Un is giving Vladimir Putin a lifeline to continue his war, Russia is quietly giving North Korea its own lifeline,” said Joe Byrne of the Open Source Center.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told the BBC that “to continue fighting in Ukraine, Russia has become increasingly reliant on North Korea to provide troops and weapons in exchange for oil.”

Since March, North Korea has received more than double its annual amount of oil from Russia.

Dr. Go Myung-hyun, a senior fellow at South Korea’s National Security Strategy Institute, said: “If you send your people to die in a foreign war, a million barrels of oil is simply not enough reward.”

Shin Won-sik, Seoul’s top security adviser, said Russia appears to have helped North Korea with financial and technological support for its space program.

However, the real issue is what else can be traded between the two countries as Kim Jong Un has stepped up his support for war with Russia.