South Korea rejects Ukraine claim it supplied petroleum products to Russia
In short
Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk publicly criticised South Korea, citing a Guardian report that seven tankers made 14 shipments of more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from Korean ports to Russia's Far East in July and August. South Korea's presidential office rejected the claim as “not true and inappropriate”, saying it has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia and that diesel and jet fuel are not among its 1,402 controlled items, with trade statistics showing no such exports. The presidential office said it is verifying the facts and will take necessary measures if problems are confirmed.
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Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, publicly criticised South Korea on 6 October, sharing a report by the British daily The Guardian on his Facebook account. According to Korean media accounts of the post, he said South Korea's imports stood in stark contrast to its sanctions policy against Russia, and that imports from South Korea had effectively helped offset the impact of Russia's loss of its own refining capacity. [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]
The Guardian report, according to the Korean outlets, was based on port records and ship-tracking data. It said seven tankers made 14 shipments carrying more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, most of it diesel, from South Korean ports including Ulsan and Yeosu to Vladivostok and Russia's Far East in July and August. It also said the shipments accounted for about one third of Russia's seaborne fuel imports, that three of the seven tankers were under Western sanctions, and that diesel was the product Russia most lacked because of Ukrainian attacks. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
South Korea's presidential office rejected the criticism. Senior spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung said in a written briefing that it was “not true and inappropriate” for a Ukrainian presidential office official to cite individual transactions whose key facts — counterparties, origin and final buyers — had not been confirmed, and to suggest South Korea had acted against its own Russia sanctions policy. She said Seoul has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia in close coordination with the international community since the invasion of Ukraine, and that this position is unchanged. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
The presidential office also set out specifics. It said diesel and jet fuel are not among South Korea's 1,402 export-control items, that trade statistics show no exports of diesel, gasoline or jet fuel from South Korea to Russia, and that it must still be confirmed whether Korean-origin diesel was exported at all. A National Security Office official said whether destinations were falsely declared will be judged by the relevant authorities as a question of domestic law. [ 8 , 9 ]
Kang said the government is closely verifying the facts and export-control matters through relevant agencies and will take necessary measures if a problem is confirmed, and asked Ukraine to refrain from public remarks made without sufficient fact-checking that could distort South Korea's policy or damage international trust. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the dispute follows Ukraine's disclosure of the transfer of North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, and is now widening into the Russia sanctions issue. [ 6 , 8 , 9 ]
The outlets differ on one detail of the government's rebuttal. Kyunghyang Shinmun reported that the trade statistics cited run from January 2025 to August 2026, while CBS NoCut News reported that they cover from August last year to August this year. Both attribute the figures to the presidential office. [ 8 , 9 ]
Why it matters
The exchange turns a reported shipping pattern into a public dispute between Seoul and Kyiv over sanctions enforcement, at a time when South Korea's Russia policy is already under scrutiny abroad. Seoul's response signals it will defend its sanctions record while leaving open the possibility of action if violations are found; the outcome will shape how closely Seoul's export controls are viewed by allies and by Ukraine.
Key facts
- Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk criticised South Korea over Russian petroleum imports, citing a Guardian report. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- The Guardian reported that seven tankers made 14 shipments of more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from Korean ports to Russia's Far East in July and August. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- South Korea's presidential office said the Ukrainian claim was “not true and inappropriate”. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- The presidential office said Seoul has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia since the invasion of Ukraine and that this position is unchanged. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- The presidential office said diesel and jet fuel are not among South Korea's 1,402 export-control items and that trade statistics show no such exports to Russia. [ 8 , 9 ]
- The presidential office said it is checking the facts through relevant agencies and will take necessary measures if problems are confirmed. [ 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Ukraine's presidential office sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk publicly criticised South Korea over petroleum shipments to Russia, citing a Guardian report shared on his Facebook account. [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]
- The Guardian reported that seven tankers made 14 shipments carrying more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from Korean ports to Vladivostok and Russia's Far East in July and August. [ 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- South Korea's presidential office, through senior spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, said the Ukrainian claim is “not true and inappropriate” and described the critical remarks as based on individual transactions whose counterparties, origin and final buyers had not been confirmed. [ 1 , 3 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]
- The presidential office said South Korea has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia in coordination with the international community since the invasion of Ukraine, and that this position is unchanged. [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 8 , 9 ]
- The presidential office said diesel and jet fuel are not among South Korea's 1,402 export-control items, and that trade statistics show no exports of diesel, gasoline or jet fuel from South Korea to Russia. [ 8 , 9 ]
- The presidential office said it is verifying the facts and export-control matters through relevant agencies and will take necessary measures if problems are confirmed, while asking Ukraine to refrain from public remarks that could distort South Korea's policy or damage international trust. [ 6 , 8 , 9 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Korean-origin petroleum products actually reached Russia The presidential office says the core facts are unconfirmed and that trade statistics show no such exports; the figure comes from a Guardian report cited by a Ukrainian official, and the documents give no independent confirmation.
- The period covered by the trade statistics the presidential office cited One report says the statistics run from January 2025 to August 2026, while another says from August last year to August this year.
- The accuracy of the Guardian report's figures, including that the shipments were about one third of Russia's seaborne fuel imports and that three of seven tankers were under Western sanctions These details appear in a single report and are not independently verified in the documents.
- Whether export destinations were falsely declared or domestic law was violated The presidential office said relevant authorities will determine any violation of domestic law after establishing the facts.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- The Guardian reports that seven tankers made 14 shipments of more than 176,000 tonnes of petroleum products, mostly diesel, from Korean ports to Russia's Far East in July and August, and Ukrainian presidential office sanctions adviser Vladyslav Vlasiuk shares the report on Facebook the same day. [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 10 ]
- Newsis reports the presidential office saying Ukraine described South Korea as acting against its own Russia sanctions without checking the facts, and that this is not true. [ 1 ]
- Dong-A Ilbo reports the presidential office's written briefing asking Ukraine to refrain from public remarks that distort South Korea's policy or damage international trust. [ 5 ]
- Newsis carries the full briefing by senior spokesperson Kang Yoo-jung, including the plan to verify the facts through relevant agencies and take necessary measures if a problem is confirmed. [ 6 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun adds the presidential office's details on the 1,402 export-control items, the absence of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel exports to Russia in trade statistics, and the fall in Russia-bound exports from $10bn in 2021 to $4bn in 2025. [ 8 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports the exchange, citing the Guardian's analysis of port records and ship-tracking data. [ 10 ]