But it more than doubled to $31.4 million in the first quarter of 2017 in year-on-year terms. Most of Russia‘s exports to North Korea are oil, coal and refined products.

Asked to explain why trade was rising if political issues were hurting commercial projects, a spokeswoman for Galushka‘s ministry said in an email: „According to the latest data, there was an objective increase due to exports to North Korea, primarily oil products. But the export of oil does not violate the agreements of the UN countries in any way.“