A wider range of North Korean products have or may soon be appearing on Russian supermarkets as Pyongyang seeks new markets for sanctioned goods like beer and apples.

With the Vladivostok and North Korea’s Rason special economic zone bus route set to open by the end of the year, the developments could be viewed as a gradual expansion of commercial ties, given Moscow’s increased disregard for U.N. restrictions.

But available trade and industrial data indicates that this civilian-sector commerce remains a small part of the bilateral relationship that is overwhelmingly driven by