South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the government will take legal action over illegal fuel shipments to Russia if allegations raised by an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are confirmed.
Sanctions Violations Alleged by Kyiv
The diplomatic friction centers on claims made by Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on sanctions policy, who stated that 176,000 tonnes of fuel were transported from South Korea to Russia aboard sanctioned tankers across July and August.
According to an analysis of port records and ship-tracking data reported by the Guardian, the shipments comprised mostly diesel loaded at several South Korean ports onto seven tankers that completed 14 voyages to the Russian Far East. Three of those vessels were operating under UK and European Union sanctions, including one tanker that took on roughly 26,000 tonnes via a ship-to-ship transfer at an anchorage near the southern port of Yeosu.
Seoul Dismisses Ukrainian Claims About Sanctions Policy
South Korea’s presidential office dismissed the Ukrainian claims on Wednesday, asserting that they contradict the nation’s sanctions policy. Presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated that Seoul has consistently implemented sanctions and export controls against Russia in close cooperation with the international community.
“We ask that Ukraine also refrain from distorting the relevant policies of the Republic of Korea without sufficient verification of the facts and making public remarks that can damage international trust,” Kang said, according to Yonhap.
Refined Petroleum Products Fall Outside Export Controls
In a joint statement issued by the foreign and trade ministries and the customs service, Seoul clarified that refined petroleum products—including diesel and commercial jet fuel—are not currently included on South Korea’s export control list for Russia, which primarily targets industrial machinery, vehicles, and electronics.
The government noted that while it is examining additional information regarding the loadings reported by the Guardian, no diesel, aviation fuel, or motor petrol has been officially “exported” from South Korea to Russia through standard customs clearance. Officials cautioned that a vessel’s divergence from a declared destination to a secondary country does not inherently prove a false declaration without examining actual transit routes.
Prisoner Transfer Dispute Tensions Seoul and Kyiv
The dispute over fuel shipments follows a separate diplomatic falling-out between Seoul and Kyiv. Relations have grown tense over the past two weeks after South Korea accused President Zelenskyy of unilaterally disclosing to the United Nations General Assembly that Kyiv had transferred two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea.
Seoul demanded an official apology from Kyiv, claiming the announcement breached a non-disclosure agreement. Ukrainian officials maintained that no such agreement existed. Kyiv’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Heorhii Tykhyi, stated on Wednesday that Ukraine had raised the fuel shipments through closed diplomatic channels, adding that Kyiv possessed its own data on the activity.
Meanwhile, Isaac Levi, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, noted that the alleged fuel trade undermines international sanctions and South Korea’s stated support for Ukraine. Russia’s domestic refining capacity has faced severe disruptions due to Ukrainian drone strikes, with refinery throughput falling in June to its lowest level in more than 20 years and diesel output dropping nearly 30% compared to the previous year, according to International Energy Agency figures cited by the Guardian.
Seoul May Take Legal Action After Checks
Seoul’s foreign ministry maintains that if ongoing checks confirm violations of domestic regulations during the port loadings, legal action will proceed in accordance with the law.
