Fueling both sides? South Korea ships 150,000T fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine
Reports indicate that South Korea has exported over 176,000 tonnes of fuel to Russia, despite South Korea's official support for Ukraine. Several tankers involved in these shipments were under international sanctions and utilized deceptive practices to mask their destinations.
Why it matters
The findings highlight potential gaps in international sanctions enforcement and the complexities of global energy supply chains during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.
South Korea is backing Ukraine, but its fuel tankers are sailing in the opposite direction — towards Russia.In July and August, more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mainly diesel, was shipped from South Korea to Russia as Moscow turned to imports to make up for falling domestic fuel production.The fuel was loaded at several South Korean ports and carried to Russia’s far east in 14 voyages by seven tankers, according to an analysis of port records and ship-tracking data by The Guardian. Three of the vessels were under UK and European Union sanctions.One sanctioned tanker received about 26,000 tonnes of fuel from another vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters.
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