Russian trade with North Korea fell sharply in May, with DPRK imports of numerous Russian commodities like oil and food dropping when compared to April.

Trade figures collated by the ITC Trade Map show Russian shipments to North Korea falling from a relatively modest $8.4 million in April to $1.9 million the following month, just 22 percent of April’s totals.

Russian shipments of refined petroleum products dropped from $3.3 million to $1.7 million, with North Korean oil imports subsequently accounting for nearly 90 percent of the DPRK’s overall import.

The downturn in fuel shipments was due to