DISINFO: EU report shows a fivefold increase of weapons transferred from Ukraine to the Middle East
SUMMARY
Weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine travel illegally to other destinations, including the Palestinian militants of Hamas. The main channel is through Poland. In 2022, over 8,300 illegal and lethal weapons travelling from Ukraine to the Middle East were seized on the Polish-Ukrainian border. One year before this figure was five times lower. This data is confirmed by an internal document of the European Multilateral Platform Against Criminal Threats (EMPACT), that includes Europol, the EU border mission Frontex and other security bodies.
RESPONSE
The claims are false and the figures are fabricated, as part of a wider disinformation campaign to promote the narrative that weapons supplied to Ukraine by other countries are diverted to the black market.
This disinformation story does not include any link to the alleged “internal document” used as a source in the claim, making it impossible to verify, but the latest EMPACT and Frontex annual reports show figures and trends totally different than those argued in this disinformation story.
According to the EMPACT 2022 Results Factsheet report, the total number of firearms seized by the mission in all Europe was 757, while the Frontex report states:
“During 2022, detections of smuggled weapons and ammunition at the border with Ukraine continued at a low rate. Most of these cases were related to single, often non-lethal, weapons or seizures of ammunition (for civilian weapons) transported in both directions through the BCPs in the travellers’ luggage. Most cases were not connected to smuggling activities but rather constituted individual cases where persons brought along a weapon for personal protection”.
Recurring allegations about NATO weapons being sold on the black market in huge numbers are false, as multiple Western governments have implemented oversight procedures for the transfers. Although some weapons have been reported as unaccounted for, the existence of this process ensures that no massive diversion can take place. Ukrainian supervisors also work to prevent this from happening as it would harm aid deliveries.
This narrative is frequently tailored to current events, from criminal turf wars in Scandinavia to riots in France, and in this case it has been adapted to exploit the Hamas attacks against Israel on 07 October 2023 and the Israeli operation against Gaza. No evidence has ever been provided about these claims. The ultimate goal of this disinformation narrative is to undermine international aid to Ukraine for its self-defence against Russia’s brutal aggression
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that Hamas uses NATO weapons sold by Ukraine, that weapons sent to Ukraine ended up in protests in France and were used against the police, that the weapons sent to Ukraine end up in the hands of criminal groups in Sweden, that the West is aware of the fact that weapons provided to Ukraine are being sold on the black market, or that international support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption.