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The presidential spokesperson for South Korea, Kang Yu-jung, has dismissed claims by a Ukrainian official that the country supplied fuel to Russia, despite the sanctions imposed on Moscow. This response came after Vladyslav Vlasiuk, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on sanctions policy, cited a story in the British newspaper The Guardian.

According to the article, over 176,000 tons of fuel were transported from South Korea to Russia via sanctioned tankers during July and August. Vlasiuk argued that these findings contradicted South Korea's sanctions policy towards Russia and accused Seoul of aiding Russia in overcoming fuel shortages due to the war with Ukraine. The South Korean government has consistently enforced sanctions and export controls against Russia in coordination with the international community since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Kang stated in a written briefing.

He emphasized that this position was clearly communicated in response to the The Guardian article, highlighting that South Korea's alleged role in supposedly easing Russia's fuel crisis and refining losses were being falsely portrayed by a Ukrainian presidential official through a Guardian article.