While the war in Ukraine continues, it has been revealed that fuel is being transported from South Korea to Russia on sanctioned tankers as part of Moscow’s efforts to ensure its fuel supply. Experts state that this situation undermines Seoul’s open support for Kyiv.
According to an analysis by Britain’s “The Guardian” newspaper based on port records and ship tracking data, over 176,000 tons of fuel (mainly diesel) were loaded onto seven tankers in various South Korean ports during July and August. elchi reports that these tankers made a total of 14 voyages to Russia’s Far East region. It was determined that three of the aforementioned vessels are included in the sanction lists of Great Britain and the European Union.
One of the ships received its cargo via a “ship-to-ship” transfer in South Korean territorial waters. It is known that this method is used to conceal the origin of the cargo and prevent ships from docking at port terminals.
Criticism regarding the weakening of the sanction regime
Isaak Levi, an analyst at the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) in Finland, called the loading of fuel onto EU-sanctioned tankers in South Korean ports for transport to Russia surprising and stated that this situation weakens both the sanction regime and South Korea’s support for Ukraine.
To date, the Seoul administration has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and non-lethal military equipment such as helmets, body armor, and mine-clearing equipment. Additionally, in 2023, the country pledged $2.3 billion in support, much of which was in the form of loans. However, South Korea is trying to strike a balance between its support for Ukraine and its desire to improve relations with Russia. During the war, Seoul has refrained from directly sending lethal weapons to Ukraine, in line with its policy of not supplying lethal weapons to warring parties.
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Fuel is being transported from South Korea to Russia on sanctioned tankers
