Ukraine claimed on Tuesday that fuel deliveries to Russia via South Korea have helped Moscow to offset losses in refining capacity caused by Kiev’s attacks on Russian facilities, reports AFP.
The British publication The Guardian wrote that 176,000 tons of petroleum products were transported through South Korea in the months of July and August, based on port registers and ship tracking data.
These deliveries “are in clear contradiction” with Seoul’s sanctions policy, stated Vladislav Vlasiuk, the sanctions advisor to President Volodimir Zelenski.
“These deliveries began exactly when the Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries reduced refining volumes and caused a fuel shortage in Russia,” Vlasiuk stated in a message posted on social networks.
“In other words, imports from South Korea have effectively helped Russia to mitigate the consequences of losing its own refining capacities,” he criticized.
Zelenski’s advisor also stated that these transports accounted for almost a third, approximately 31%, of Russian fuel imports in August, and that three of the seven tankers used for the transport of these petroleum products were subject to Western sanctions.
These accusations emerge against the backdrop of already existing tensions between Kiev and Seoul. Zelenski revealed last month, during a speech at the UN, that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces were sent to South Korea.
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