{"id":33058,"date":"2026-10-06T05:38:57","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33058"},"modified":"2026-10-06T05:38:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T05:38:57","slug":"fueling-both-sides-south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/?p=33058","title":{"rendered":"Fueling both sides? South Korea ships 150,000T fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"e9jwa\">\n<div class=\"vdo_embedd\">\n<div class=\"GfdvZ\">\n<section class=\"_bIDB  clearfix id-r-component leadmedia undefined undefined  E9tg9 \" style=\"top:0px\">\n<div class=\"_bIDB\" data-ua-type=\"1\" onclick=\"stpPgtnAndPrvntDefault(event)\">\n<div class=\"ypVvZ\">\n<div class=\"WGttI\"><img src=\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-134723849,imgsize-126986,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg\" alt=\"Fueling both sides? South Korea ships 150,000T fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine\" title=\"South Korea ships 150,000 tonnes fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine\" decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Ta7d_ img_cptn\"><span title=\"South Korea ships 150,000 tonnes fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine\">South Korea ships 150,000 tonnes fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine<\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>South Korea is backing Ukraine, but its fuel tankers are sailing in the opposite direction \u2014 towards Russia.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"1\"\/>In July and August, more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mainly diesel, was shipped from South Korea to Russia as Moscow turned to imports to make up for falling domestic fuel production.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"4\"\/>The fuel was loaded at several South Korean ports and carried to Russia\u2019s far east in 14 voyages by seven tankers, according to an analysis of port records and ship-tracking data by The Guardian. Three of the vessels were under UK and European Union sanctions.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"6\"\/>One sanctioned tanker received about 26,000 tonnes of fuel from another vessel in a ship-to-ship transfer in South Korean waters. Such transfers can make cargo origins harder to trace and allow ships to avoid port terminals.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"10\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Three <keyword id=\"34353187\" type=\"Denny\" weightage=\"20\" keywordseo=\"sanctioned-tankers\" source=\"keywords\">sanctioned tankers<\/keyword> sail to Russia<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"12\"\/>The largest carrier was the sanctioned Layla, which made two trips from Ulsan in south-eastern South Korea to Vladivostok on 19 July and 10 August, carrying 57,000 tonnes of diesel in total.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"14\"\/>On its first trip, Layla told South Korean authorities it was heading to Vladivostok. On the second, it declared Niigata in Japan as its destination before sailing to Vladivostok.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"16\"\/>The Russian-flagged Astoria, 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.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"20\"\/>The third sanctioned tanker, Chongchon, did not berth at a port. Instead, it took on about 26,000 tonnes of fuel from the unsanctioned Celeste I at an anchorage off Yeosu in southern South Korea in early August. It then sailed to Vladivostok after declaring Singapore as its destination.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"22\"\/>The owners and managers of the four tankers did not respond to requests for comment. <!-- -->South Korean port records do not show who owned or sold the fuel.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"26\"\/><\/p>\n<p><h2>Russia turns to import fuel<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"28\"\/>The shipments come as Ukrainian drone strikes disrupt Russia\u2019s oil-refining capacity.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"30\"\/>The International Energy Agency said Russian refinery throughput fell in June to its lowest level in more than 20 years. Diesel production was nearly 30% lower than a year earlier.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"32\"\/>Ukraine\u2019s military intelligence agency, the HUR, has said Moscow has been forced to import fuel products to feed the \u201cRussian war machine\u201d.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"35\"\/>Russia imported 368,000 tonnes of oil products by sea in August, according to Kpler data analysed by CREA. That was more than seven times the previous month and the highest monthly total since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"37\"\/>South Korea supplied 112,000 tonnes, or 31%, of the total, second only to India.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"39\"\/>Kpler data showed that buyers included Rosneft, Russia\u2019s state-controlled oil company, which is under UK, US, EU and Australian sanctions. <!-- -->NNK, a Russian oil group, was also among the buyers. Its owner, Eduard Khudainatov, and NNK-Oil are under UK sanctions.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"43\"\/>South Korea balances Ukraine support with Russia ties<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"45\"\/>The fuel trade comes despite South Korea\u2019s support for Ukraine. Seoul has provided humanitarian aid and non-lethal military supplies, including helmets, body armour and demining vehicles. In 2023, it pledged $2.3bn in support, most of it in loans.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"48\"\/>President Lee Jae Myung also pledged $100m for Ukraine\u2019s reconstruction at a Nato summit in Turkey.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"50\"\/>But Seoul has also sought to maintain ties with Russia. Throughout the war, it has ruled out sending weapons directly to Ukraine, in line with its policy of not supplying lethal arms to countries at war.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"52\"\/>Moscow has also shown interest in restoring relations with South Korea, including trade ties.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"54\"\/>The fuel shipments involve vessels sanctioned by some of South Korea\u2019s western partners but do not appear to breach South Korean law. <!-- -->Seoul\u2019s measures against Russia mainly focus on export controls covering goods such as industrial machinery, electronics and vehicles.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"58\"\/>The shipments come as relations between Seoul and Kyiv face strain over the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea, which Seoul has said was meant to remain secret.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"60\"\/>Seoul defends its export controls<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"62\"\/>Fuel loadings at South Korean ports began to rise sharply in July, around the time Lee pledged $100m for Ukraine\u2019s reconstruction.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"65\"\/>A 2025 trade association survey found that nearly 80% of South Korean companies that had stopped exporting to Russia since the war began were open to restarting trade.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"67\"\/>In March, South Korea capped exports of certain fuels and imported Russian naphtha under a US sanctions waiver after the war with Iran shut the Strait of Hormuz.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"70\"\/>On 1 October, the UK temporarily exempted South Korea\u2019s existing gas contracts from a ban on maritime services for Russian LNG, which will take effect in January 2027.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"73\"\/>South Korea\u2019s foreign ministry did not directly address the shipments or the sanctioned tankers. In a statement, it said that as \u201ca responsible member of the international community, the government supports, and is actively taking part in, international efforts to help end the war in Ukraine and bring about a peaceful recovery.\u201d<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"75\"\/>The ministry said that it had expanded export controls on Russia under the Foreign Trade Act \u201cbeyond strategic items to 1,402 non-strategic items with a high potential for diversion to military use\u201d and was \u201cstrictly enforcing\u201d them.<span class=\"id-r-component br\" data-pos=\"77\"\/>The government \u201ccontinues to monitor the implementation of its export controls on Russia and, where necessary, takes action in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations,\u201d the ministry said.<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/business\/international-business\/fueling-both-sides-south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine\/articleshow\/134723406.cms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South Korea ships 150,000 tonnes fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine South Korea is backing Ukraine, but its fuel tankers are sailing in the opposite direction \u2014 towards Russia.In July and August, more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mainly diesel, was shipped from South Korea to Russia as Moscow turned to imports to make up [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33059,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33058","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-31"],"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","medium_large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","1536x1536":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","2048x2048":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-small":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-small-tall":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-small-square":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-small-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-medium":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-medium-masonry":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-large":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg","blogsy-wide":"https:\/\/koshalsambada.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/south-korea-ships-150000t-fuel-to-russia-while-funding-ukraine.jpg"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"admin","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8709732a479614e7a8aa24d3eb1b239f30dc6d90c61464ed495001e7a469d856?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":"0","magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"South Korea ships 150,000 tonnes fuel to Russia while funding Ukraine South Korea is backing Ukraine, but its fuel tankers are sailing in the opposite direction \u2014 towards Russia.In July and August, more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mainly diesel, was shipped from South Korea to Russia as Moscow turned to imports to make up [&hellip;]","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["\u0b26\u0b47\u0b36 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