According to two crew members of a Russian tanker owned by Primportbunker, the vessel was used to transfer fuel to a North Korean vessel in four separate occasions between October 2017 and May 2018. The transactions represent violations to international sanctions that have been placed on North Korea, such as a United Nations ban on close to 90% of refined petroleum exports to the country.
The US government has often criticized Russia for violating the sanctions on Pyongyang, but the Kremlin has consistently denied these allegations.
Read more: Exclusive: Despite sanctions, Russian tanker supplied fuel to North Korean ship-crew members