No, this oil tanker didn’t carry Russian diesel to the United States

US President Donald Trump announced on Friday, October 9, that he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import millions of tons of Russian diesel. “Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter. Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel,” Trump wrote on his platform Truth Social. The next day, the pro-Russian X account Russian Market (which uses the handle @runews) posted that Russian diesel was already being delivered to the United States, scarcely a day after the deal. The account claimed that the Minerva Zen, an oil and chemical tanker, was carrying close to 280,000 barrels of diesel from Russia… and was bound for the United States. The post even featured a map of the route it was taking, starting with when the cargo was supposedly loaded on September 22 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. The Minerva Zen didn’t deliver Russian diesel to the United States, contrary to the claims made on October 10, 202...