Ukraine has accused South Korea of playing a double game, suggesting the country indirectly supported Russia by supplying a significant portion of its fuel during a crucial period in the ongoing conflict. According to reports, fuel deliveries from South Korea to Russia helped Moscow compensate for the loss of refining capacity caused by Ukrainian strikes on Russian facilities. The British daily The Guardian reported that 176,000 tons of petroleum products were transported via South Korea in July and August, based on port records and ship tracking data. These deliveries are "significantly out of step" with Seoul's sanctions policy, said Volodymyr Zelensky's sanctions advisor, Vladyslav Vlasiouk. "These deliveries began precisely at the time when Ukrainian strikes against Russian refineries reduced refining volumes and caused a fuel shortage in Russia," he stated on social media. Faced with a shortage, Russia had been forced to ration fuel during the summer. "In other words, imports from South Korea effectively helped Russia mitigate the consequences of losing its own refining capacity," he criticized. Zelensky's advisor stated that these shipments accounted for nearly a third, approximately 31%, of Russian fuel imports in August, and that three of the seven tankers used to transport these petroleum products were subject to Western sanctions. According to The Guardian, although ships sanctioned by some Western partners of Seoul are involved, these operations do not appear to violate South Korean law. The measures taken by South Korea against Russia mainly focus on the control of exports of goods such as industrial machines, electronics, and vehicles. Seoul has also restricted operations with major Russian banks and the Central Bank and imposed other restrictions on financial transactions and trade in goods, including those that could be used for defense purposes. However, these deliveries risk giving the impression that Seoul is a weak link in Western efforts to pressure Russia. "It is shocking that EU-sanctioned tankers loaded fuel in South Korean ports and transported it to Russia," said Isaac Levi, an analyst at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), a Finnish think tank, to The Guardian. "This undermines the sanctions regime and South Korea's support for Ukraine." These accusations come amid tensions between Kyiv and Seoul. Mr. Zelensky had revealed last month, during a speech at the UN, that two North Korean soldiers captured while fighting alongside Russian forces had been sent to South Korea. Seoul then demanded an apology from Ukraine and summoned its ambassador, believing that Kyiv had broken a confidentiality agreement.