A Russian cargo ship, which is under sanctions by the U.S. and Japan, was confirmed to have docked at the port of Najin in northeastern North Korea after leaving the Russian Far East port of Vostochny in April.
On the 9th, the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out the possibility of Russia violating the UN Security Council’s sanctions against North Korea by transporting weapons and ammunition made by North Korea. The Yomiuri analyzed satellite photos from U.S. private satellite service Planet Labs and International Maritime Organization (IMO) ship information, in collaboration with Furukawa Katsuhiro, a former member of the Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea’s panel of experts that monitors the implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea. Satellite photos taken from April 2-3 of Vostochny Port showed a Russian cargo ship, LADY R, docked at a port stacked with numerous containers. On April 14, a ship believed to be the same as before was confirmed to have docked at Najin Port in North Korea.
The Yomiuri reported that the exact course is unknown as there is no Automatic Identification System (AIS) information about the ship’s movement from Vostochny to Najin. The U.S. government has designated LADY R as a target for unilateral sanctions for being used for weapons transport, and the Japanese government has also added the Russian company that owns this ship to its sanctions list, alleging it is transporting ammunition. The UN Security Council adopted sanctions in June 2009 that completely ban North Korea’s weapons exports in response to its nuclear tests. The Yomiuri diagnosed that “As the Russian invasion of Ukraine becomes protracted, the mutual dependence between North Korea and Russia on providing each other with necessary materials is deepening.” Furukawa emphasized, “Vostochny Port is becoming a hub for illicit transport of North Korean weapons and petroleum products. The international community must respond quickly as the ammunition provided to Russia is being used in the attack on Ukraine.”