SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea supplied more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, to Russia’s Far East in July and August, according to an Guardian analysis of port records and ship-tracking data. Seven tankers made 14 voyages from South Korean ports to Russia, including vessels under UK and EU sanctions.
Sanctioned Tankers and Routes
The largest carrier was the sanctioned tanker Layla, which made two voyages from Ulsan to Vladivostok on 19 July and 10 August, carrying a combined 57,000 tonnes of diesel. It declared Vladivostok as its destination on the first voyage, while on the second it declared Niigata, Japan, before sailing to Vladivostok.
The Russian-flagged Astoria, which is also under Australian sanctions, loaded nearly 11,000 tonnes of fuel at Ulsan on 1 August. It declared Japan as its destination before sailing to Vladivostok.
The third sanctioned tanker, Chongchon, did not berth at a South Korean port. Instead, it received about 26,000 tonnes of fuel from the unsanctioned tanker Celeste I through a ship-to-ship transfer off Yeosu in early August. Chongchon then sailed to Vladivostok after declaring Singapore as its destination.
Ship-to-ship transfers can make the origin of cargo more difficult to establish and allow vessels to avoid port terminals.
Russian Buyers and Import Surge
South Korean port records do not identify who owned or sold the fuel. The tanker owners and managers also did not respond to requests for comment.
Kpler data showed that buyers included Rosneft, Russia’s state-controlled oil company, which is sanctioned by the UK, US, EU and Australia. Another buyer was NNK, whose owner Eduard Khudainatov and NNK-Oil are under UK sanctions.
Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of oil products by sea in August, more than seven times the previous month and the highest monthly total since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Kpler data analysed by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). South Korea supplied 112,000 tonnes, or 31%, making it Russia’s second-largest supplier after India.
Russian Refinery Disruptions
The increase in imports came as Russian refining capacity was disrupted by Ukrainian drone strikes. The International Energy Agency said Russian refinery throughput fell in June to its lowest level in more than 20 years, while diesel output was nearly 30% lower than a year earlier.
South Korea’s Support for Ukraine
The increase in fuel shipments coincided with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung’s pledge of $100 million for Ukraine’s reconstruction at a NATO summit in Turkey.
South Korea has provided humanitarian aid and non-lethal military supplies, including helmets, body armour and demining vehicles. It had previously pledged $2.3 billion in support, mostly through loans, and has ruled out sending lethal weapons.
CREA analyst Isaac Levi said the loading of EU-sanctioned tankers at South Korean ports and their voyages to Russia undermined the sanctions regime and South Korea’s support for Ukraine.
South Korean Legal Position
The fuel shipments do not appear to breach South Korean law. Seoul’s measures against Russia mainly concern exports of industrial machinery, electronics and vehicles.
South Korea’s foreign ministry did not specifically address the shipments or the sanctioned tankers. It said the government supports international efforts to end the war and is strictly enforcing expanded export controls covering 1,402 non-strategic items considered to have a high potential for diversion to military use.
In March, amid conflict involving Iran and disruption around the Strait of Hormuz, South Korea capped exports of certain fuels and imported Russian naphtha under a US sanctions waiver.
On 1 October, the UK temporarily exempted South Korea’s existing gas contracts from a ban on maritime services for Russian LNG, which is scheduled to take effect in January 2027.
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