MOSCOW. Feb 26 (Interfax) - Russia's ambassador to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Alexander Matsegora, has described as "rumors" Western media allegations that Russian ships are circumventing UN Security Council sanctions by smuggling petroleum products to North Korea.
"Reuters is citing evidence from two apparent anonymous crew members. This isn't serious. In the hunt for sensation they [the media] are stooping to rumors apparently gathered at dockside facilities," Matsegora told Interfax on Tuesday.
Russian fuel is taken to North Korea by "legal routes, mainly by railroad," he said.
"The Koreans are taking Russian fuel in relatively small quantities because it is much more expensive than the cheap brands most popular among DPRK consumers, which we don't produce.
"Also, I can hardly imagine a situation with a foreign supplier chartering not some 'suspicious dish' registered in some island nation, for handing over contraband oil in the open sea, but a Russian vessel and its owner risking falling under sanctions and the sure loss of the possibility to use its whole tonnage - for the sake of a dubious profit.
"Further, the space around Korean peninsula is being monitored by Americans and allies very closely. Had such transshipment taken place, they would have probably spotted it.
"[The media] should seek more credible sources of information," Matsegora said.