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Ukraine Blames South Korea Over Fuel Shipments to Russia
M
Moneycontrol•06-10-2026, 19:10
Ukraine Blames South Korea Over Fuel Shipments to Russia
- •Ukraine criticized South Korea over more than 176,000 tonnes of fuel shipped to Russia during July and August amidst refinery shortages.
- •Ship-tracking data revealed that seven tankers made 14 voyages to Russia's Far East, with three of the vessels under UK or EU sanctions.
- •Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, stated the shipments sharply contrast with South Korea's sanctions policy.
- •South Korean fuel made up 31 percent of Russia's seaborne oil product imports in August, making Seoul the second-largest supplier after India.
- •Seoul maintained that the shipments did not breach South Korean law while emphasizing its ongoing support for international efforts to end the war.
Key Questions Answered
More than 176,000 tonnes of fuel, mostly diesel, were shipped from South Korean ports to Russia in July and August.
The involvement of vessels under UK or EU sanctions does not appear to have violated South Korean law, as Seoul's own sanctions primarily focus on export controls covering industrial equipment, electronics, and vehicles.
Russia's domestic fuel production was disrupted by Ukrainian drone strikes on oil refineries, causing refinery throughput to fall to its lowest level in over 20 years and diesel production to drop significantly.
