Russia officially resumed oil product exports to North Korea in December of last year after a hiatus of over two years.

According to the UN Security Council(UNSC) website on Tuesday, Russia provided a cumulative total of 67-thousand-300 barrels of refined oil from December to April as shipments resumed for the first time in 28 months since 255 barrels were sent in August 2020.

Under UNSC Resolution 2397 adopted in 2017, the UN requires member countries to report the supply, sale and transfer of all refined petroleum products to North Korea, while capping the annual amount of refined oil that can be exported to North Korea at 500-thousand barrels.

The Voice of America said that the U.S. government believes that the actual amount of oil brought into the North is likely to be much higher as the data is limited to officially reported refined oil.

Radio Free Asia quoted some experts as saying that the shipments to North Korea appear to have resumed in return for supplying weapons to Russia, which is at war with Ukraine.