Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course
Moscow states shipments continue to the US, contradicting reports of rerouting to Brazil and the Mediterranean.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Кирилл Дмитриев. Фото: Сергей Карпухин / ТАСС
Photograph: EADaily (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Two of three Russian diesel tankers bound for the United States changed course, heading towards Brazil and the Mediterranean, according to the Financial Times.
- Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, denied these reports, stating the tankers continue their original course to the US.
- The Russian government has not disclosed details of commercial deliveries, citing their non-public nature.
- No left- or centre-rated outlets reported on this story.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 6 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 6 of the 12 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .
Trust
68/100
Craft
77/100
Hype
45/100
12 sources · methodology
Thin on the left so far
None of the 6 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated left.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Reports emerged that two of three Russian diesel tankers destined for the United States had altered their routes, with the Financial Times citing satellite data suggesting a change towards Brazil and the Mediterranean. However, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), denied these claims. He stated that the tankers continuing to the United States have not changed course and are proceeding as planned.
Disagreement on tanker routes
The Financial Times reported that two of three Russian diesel tankers bound for the United States changed course toward Brazil and the Mediterranean. In contrast, Kirill Dmitriev, head of the RDIF, stated that the tankers continuing to the United States have not changed course. Dmitriev called the Financial Times report 'fake' and questioned the reasons for generating 'fake news'.
What the coverage left out
None of the left- or centre-rated outlets reported on this story. The right-rated reports did not mention the specific detail that two of three Russian diesel tankers bound for the United States changed course toward Brazil and the Mediterranean, as reported by the Financial Times. Instead, they focused on the denial of these claims by Russian officials.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 1 time, most recently on 5 Nov 2026, 17:00, and will add the sides that appear.
How other outlets pictured it
Which photograph to run is each newsroom’s own choice. The leaning beside a name is that outlet’s published rating, not a claim that the pictures divide along it. Every picture is shown from the outlet’s own server and links to the article it ran in.
Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course
Interfax.ru — embedded from source
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated left has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Centre
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated centre has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Right
6 rated outlets
- Right-rated reports focused on the denial of the Financial Times' claims by Russian officials. Multiple outlets highlighted Kirill Dmitriev's statement that the tankers were continuing their journey to the US. EADaily and Interfax.ru quoted Dmitriev directly or paraphrased his denial. Politika.rs noted that Moscow denies the deal failed and that Russian fuel will find buyers, without revealing delivery details. News-pravda.com reported Dmitriev's assertion that agreements on diesel supply continue to operate. Vz.ru and Topwar.ru also featured Dmitriev's denial, with Vz.ru quoting him calling the report a 'fairy'.
- Some right-rated reports also included commentary on the political motivations behind the Financial Times story. EADaily suggested the reports were a coordinated attempt by 'American Democrats and Eurocrats' to undermine economic agreements between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, and to intimidate US distributors. This outlet also stated that Moscow does not intend to play by the rules of 'Western information warfare'.
- The Russian government's stance on the non-disclosure of commercial delivery details was also noted. Interfax.ru reported that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated they could not discuss commercial nuances as they cannot be made public. Politika.rs also mentioned that Moscow does not reveal details of commercial deliveries.
- The right-rated coverage consistently framed the story around the Russian denial of the Financial Times report, often characterising the original report as 'fake' or 'untrue'.
- None of the right-rated reports mentioned the specific figure of three tankers, only referring to 'two of three' or 'a number of tankers' in relation to the alleged course change. The Financial Times' specific claim of two out of three tankers changing course was not detailed in the right-rated digests.
- The right-rated reports did not include any direct quotes from US officials or distributors regarding the diesel shipments or the alleged course changes.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course?
- Of the 6 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 0% are rated left, 0% are rated centre, 100% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 12. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 6 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course biased?
- Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course is one event reported by 12 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated left had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Russia denies US diesel tankers changed course?
- 12 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did the Financial Times report about Russian diesel tankers?
- The Financial Times reported that two out of three Russian diesel tankers originally bound for the United States had changed their course. According to the publication, these tankers were heading towards Brazil and the Mediterranean instead of their US destination.
- Who denied the Financial Times report?
- Kirill Dmitriev, the head of Russia's Direct Investment Fund and a special representative for investment and economic cooperation, denied the Financial Times report. He stated that the tankers continuing to the United States had not changed their course.
- What is Russia's official stance on commercial deliveries?
- The Russian government has stated that details of commercial deliveries cannot be made public. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated that commercial nuances are not for public discussion, and the Russian government has not disclosed specifics about these deliveries.
Read it at the source
12 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Centre
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Right
6- Dmitri: Diesel Tankers Have Not Changed Course; They Continue to Go to U.S. Ports (opens topwar.ru in a new tab)
- The Head of the Russian Federation Denied the Financial Times Data on the Breakdown of the U.S. Diesel Deal. (opens EADaily in a new tab)
- Moscow Denies It Failed Deal to Deliver Diesel to America (opens politika.rs in a new tab)
politika.rs — is politika.rs biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Dmitriev Called a Fairy a Message About a Change of Course in Tank Vessels Shipped to the United States. (opens vz.ru in a new tab)
- Dmitriy Thought FT's Data on Difficulties in Delivering Diesel From Russia to the United States Were Incorrect. (opens Interfax.ru in a new tab)
Interfax.ru — is Interfax.ru biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- The agreements between Russia and the United States on the supply of Russian diesel to world markets continue to operate, Kirill Dmitriev, special representative of the President of Russia, said on Thursday (opens news-pravda.com in a new tab)
news-pravda.com — is news-pravda.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
Not rated
6- The Shipment Will Find Its Buyers, Peskov Said About the Diesel Convoy that Was Headed to the USA but Changed Direction (opens Heti Világgazdaság in a new tab)
Heti Világgazdaság — is Heti Világgazdaság biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Russia Denied Claims that Tankers Carrying Diesel to the US Had Changed Their Routes. (opens Akşam in a new tab)
- A Twist in Trump-Putin Deal: Russian Oil Tankers Change Course, the US Will Not Receive All Supplies! (opens topky.sk in a new tab)
- Supply of Diesel Fuel. The Kremlin Reacted to Reports of the Breakdown of the Agreement with the United States (opens Unknown in a new tab)
Unknown
- Putin's Special Representative Called "Fake" the News of the Financial Times that Russian Diesel Tankers on Their Way to the United States Changed Course. (opens tvrain.tv in a new tab)
- Dmitriev Denied the Fae About the Turning of Russian Diesel Tankers on Their Way to the United States. (opens Life.ru in a new tab)
How did this read?
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