Russian diesel sometimes reaches European markets under different labels despite ban: Senior official

Russian diesel fuel sometimes reaches European markets under different labels despite the European Union's ban on imports of Russian petroleum products, according to Russia's deputy prime minister.

Asked during a Sunday interview with media outlet Vesti about the possibility of European countries purchasing Russian gas through third countries, Alexander Novak said such instances were possible.

"Such instances are possible because, although Europe has banned the purchase of Russian oil and petroleum products, we see that Russian diesel sometimes still appears in Europe under different labels," he said.

Novak also warned that Europe could face difficulties getting through the winter, citing "historically" low levels of gas in underground storage facilities.

"Currently, gas stocks in underground storage facilities are at historically low levels, and how the Europeans fare through the winter will be a story in itself," he said.

He said EU storage facilities hold about 82.1 billion cubic meters of gas, the lowest level since 2013. This figure is also 9.4 billion cubic meters lower than it was last year, he added.