Oil, Air Defense, and Missiles: ISW on How Russia Paid North Korea for Military Participation

Oil, air defense and missiles: ISW on how Russia paid North Korea for military participation Polina Buyanova

Russia has sent North Korea more than one million barrels of oil, air defense systems and missiles. Such “gifts” for the DPRK were payment for providing manpower to participate in the war.

This is reported by 24 Kanal, citing a report by analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). It is noted that Russia's oil supplies to the DPRK are a violation of UN sanctions against North Korea.

How Russia “thanks” North Korea

British analysts, citing satellite images, reported that since March 2024, Russia has supplied North Korea with more than one million barrels (that is, 56,000 tons) of oil.

Satellite images show how more than a dozen different North Korean oil tankers have arrived empty at an oil terminal in Russia's Far East and sailed away with almost full tanks 43 times in the past eight months, the report.

British Foreign Secretary David Lemmy also told the BBC that oil is payment for the weapons and troops that North Korea provided to Russia to wage war against Ukraine.

At the same time, South Korea believes that Russia also provided the DPRK with air defense systems and missiles for them. However, the type of air defense systems that Russia provided to North Korea remain unknown. South Korean experts suggested that Russia could have provided the S-400 systems, since the DPRK is capable of creating shorter-range air defense systems within the country.

By the way, ISW analysts previously reported that the Russian command is using the tactics of quickly recruiting new recruits in relation to the North Korean military. It is noted that this will lead to large losses among their personnel.