Ukraine criticizes South Korea over reported diesel shipments to Russia
Version 2: No new facts emerged; additional Korean outlets, including Chosun Ilbo, Newsis and Dong-A Ilbo, repeated Ukraine's criticism of the reported fuel shipments, several citing AFP.
In short
Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, publicly criticized South Korea over a Guardian report that seven tankers carried more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from South Korean ports to Russia's Far East in July and August. Vlasiuk said the supply “starkly contrasts” with Seoul's sanctions policy and helped offset refining capacity Russia lost to Ukrainian strikes. South Korea's foreign ministry said it strictly enforces expanded export controls and supports international efforts to end the war, without answering questions about the shipments.
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The Guardian reported on October 6 that, based on port records and ship-tracking data it analyzed, seven tankers made 14 voyages carrying more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products — mostly diesel — from South Korean ports including Ulsan and Yeosu to Russia's Far East, including Vladivostok, in July and August. Yonhap, Hankook Ilbo, Maeil Business, Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo carried the figures. Three of the seven tankers are subject to UK or EU sanctions, and some vessels declared destinations such as Japan or Singapore before heading to Russian ports, according to the reports. The Guardian said the Astoria, a Russian tanker under Australian sanctions, left Ulsan on August 1 with 11,000 tonnes of fuel after declaring it was bound for Japan, sailed east toward Niigata and then turned north for Vladivostok. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
Citing the shipping information firm Kpler, the Guardian reported that Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of petroleum products by sea in August alone, more than seven times the previous month's volume. Of that, 112,000 tonnes — 31% — came from South Korea, second only to India. The newspaper also said buyers of fuel loaded at Korean ports included Rosneft, the Russian state oil company sanctioned by the UK, the US, the EU and Australia. It added that port records alone could not show who owned or sold the products, and that the trade did not appear to violate South Korean law, since Seoul's Russia measures center on export controls for industrial machinery, electronics and vehicles. Yonhap also quoted Isaac Levi of the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, who called the reported loading of EU-sanctioned tankers at Korean ports “shocking” and said it undermined the sanctions network and Korea's support for Ukraine. [ 1 , 4 ]
South Korea's foreign ministry, answering the Guardian's questions, did not address the shipments or the sanctioned tankers, Hankook Ilbo reported. The ministry said it has expanded export controls under the Foreign Trade Act to cover 1,402 non-strategic items that could be used for military purposes and enforces them strictly, adding that South Korea supports and takes part in international efforts to end the war and bring about peaceful reconstruction. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian presidential office's sanctions adviser, cited the Guardian report in Facebook and X posts on October 6. He said the shipments “starkly contrast” with South Korea's sanctions policy, and argued that the fuel from Korea helped offset the refining capacity Russia lost to Ukrainian strikes on its oil facilities, arriving at the same time that fuel shortages emerged there. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
In a separate post, Vlasiuk divided Seoul's Russia policy into positive and negative elements: expanded export controls against Russia and Belarus, and sanctions on ships and institutions tied to North Korean military cooperation, were positive, while the petroleum-product supply, non-participation in the Russian oil price cap, continued purchases of Russian coal and LNG, and consideration of resuming Russian crude and naphtha imports were negative. [ 4 , 6 ]
The criticism came as relations between Seoul and Kyiv are strained over the handling of North Korean prisoners of war. Hankook Ilbo and Maeil Business reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed at the UN General Assembly on September 23 that two North Korean soldiers had been sent to South Korea, and that President Lee Jae-myung expressed regret that an undisclosed agreement had been broken. After a Ukrainian presidential office spokesperson commented online that there had been no agreement, the Blue House demanded an official explanation and apology — Hankook Ilbo dated that statement September 27 and Maeil Business September 28. Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said at a National Assembly audit on October 6 that he had received a message containing an apology from Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, but that it fell short of what the government expected, and that responses including recalling the ambassador to Ukraine were under review. [ 3 , 4 , 6 ]
Why it matters
The public rebuke adds a new point of friction to already strained South Korea–Ukraine relations, which have been unsettled by a dispute over the disclosure of an agreement on sending North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. It also puts pressure on Seoul to explain how tankers under Western sanctions could load fuel at its ports while it backs international efforts against Russia's war. The Guardian report says the trade did not appear to violate Korean law, and the documents give no indication of any change to Korea's export-control rules.
Key facts
- The Guardian reported that in July and August seven tankers made 14 voyages carrying more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from Ulsan, Yeosu and other South Korean ports to Russia's Far East including Vladivostok. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Three of the seven tankers are subject to UK or EU sanctions, and some vessels declared destinations such as Japan or Singapore before heading to Russia. [ 1 , 4 ]
- Citing Kpler data, the Guardian reported Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of seaborne petroleum products in August, more than seven times the previous month, with 112,000 tonnes, or 31%, from South Korea, second only to India. [ 1 , 4 ]
- The Guardian said buyers included Rosneft, the Russian state oil company under UK, US, EU and Australian sanctions, and that port records alone could not show who owned or sold the products. [ 1 , 9 ]
- Ukrainian presidential office sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk said the shipments “starkly contrast” with South Korea's sanctions policy and helped offset Russia's loss of refining capacity. [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- South Korea's foreign ministry told the Guardian it has expanded export controls under the Foreign Trade Act to 1,402 non-strategic items that could be used for military purposes and enforces them strictly. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
- The criticism came amid a dispute over Ukraine's disclosure of an undisclosed agreement on sending North Korean POWs to South Korea; Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said on October 6 that an apologetic message from Ukraine's foreign minister fell short of expectations. [ 4 , 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Guardian reported that seven tankers made 14 voyages carrying more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from South Korean ports to Russia's Far East in July and August. [ 1 , 4 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian presidential office's sanctions adviser, publicly criticized South Korea over the shipments on October 6. [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 9 ]
- South Korea's foreign ministry said it has expanded export controls to 1,402 non-strategic items that could be used for military purposes and enforces them strictly, and that it supports international efforts to end the war and pursue peaceful reconstruction. [ 1 , 4 , 6 ]
- The Guardian reported the trade did not appear to violate South Korean law, noting that Seoul's Russia measures center on export controls for industrial machinery, electronics and vehicles. [ 1 , 4 , 9 ]
- The Ukrainian criticism came while Seoul and Kyiv were in a dispute over the disclosure of an undisclosed agreement on sending North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Who owned or sold the petroleum products shipped from South Korea to Russia The Guardian and Dong-A Ilbo said this could not be established from port records alone, and South Korea's foreign ministry did not answer questions about the shipments or the sanctioned tankers.
- Whether the shipments breached South Korean law The Guardian reported they did not appear to, while Vlasiuk said they conflicted with Seoul's sanctions stance; the documents provide no regulatory finding.
- The exact date of the Blue House statement demanding an explanation and apology from Ukraine over the POW disclosure Hankook Ilbo said September 27 and Maeil Business said September 28.
- Ukraine's official position on the North Korean POWs' transfer to South Korea Maeil Business reported that Ukrainian authorities, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have issued no separate position on the transfer.
- Whether South Korea will recall its ambassador to Ukraine Foreign Minister Cho Hyun said such responses, including a possible recall, are under review.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap publishes a report on the Guardian's analysis of port records and ship-tracking data on Korean petroleum-product shipments to Russia. [ 1 ]
- Yonhap reports that Ukraine criticized South Korea's Russia policy, citing the foreign report. [ 2 ]
- Yonhap publishes a fuller version of the Ukraine criticism, noting the dispute over an undisclosed agreement on North Korean POWs. [ 3 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports Vlasiuk's Facebook and X posts criticizing Seoul and detailing his positive and negative assessment of Korea's Russia policy. [ 4 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports Vlasiuk's remark that the shipments “starkly contrast” with Korea's sanctions policy. [ 5 ]
- Maeil Business reports Vlasiuk's claim that Korean supply helped offset Russia's loss of refining capacity, and Seoul's foreign ministry response. [ 6 ]
- Chosun Ilbo, citing AFP, reports Ukraine's criticism over the 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products. [ 7 ]
- Newsis reports that Ukraine criticized South Korea over foreign reports on petroleum-product supply to Russia. [ 8 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo, citing AFP, reports Vlasiuk's criticism and the Guardian's figures, noting it is unclear who owned or sold the fuel. [ 9 ]