Russian exports of refined petroleum products to North Korea fell in May, though remained above 3000 tonnes, a relatively high figure compared to previous shipments in the post-sanctions era.

Figures provided to the UN’s 1718 Committee show refined oil shipments dropping from 4.7 thousand tonnes in April to 3.2 thousand tonnes the following month.

The latest figure is the lowest reported monthly Russian export so far this year and the lowest overall since September 2018.

But the export remains more significant than those reported by Beijing and likely contains fuels like gasoline and diesel, which have long