DISINFO: Spanish National Strategy on WMD out of concern about corrupt Ukraine
SUMMARY
On 15 February, Spain started the approval process of the first National Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. There is a relation with the growing uncertainty about the destination of many weapons and technologies sent to the regime of Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Everybody knows the level of corruption in the Ukrainian military and the traffic of Western weapons detected in the country for months. There is a serious irresponsibility of NATO countries for sending weapons and technologies that could be used to spread chemical or biological agents. Risks are real and armies must plan how to face those risks.
RESPONSE
This is a mix of several pro-Kremlin disinformation narratives, in this case merged with a totally unrelated real event.
On 15 February, Spain’s president Pedro Sánchez chaired a routine National Security Meeting. This addressed some bureaucratic initiatives, including the status of the Strategic Plan to Combat the Illicit Enrichment of Criminal Organisations and Criminals (PELCEIL) and the approval of the drafting of the National Strategy against the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, in line with Spain’s National Security Strategy guidelines on non-proliferation.
Both the meeting and the draft document had no relation to Ukraine. However, by claiming otherwise, this disinformation story aims to portray the Spanish government as concerned about Ukraine’s potential use of WMD.
Mixing it with different recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation messages about Ukraine’s corruption and disposition to use chemical or biological weapons, as well as its trafficking of Western weapons, the goal of this disinformation story is to erode public support for Western military and financial aid to help Ukraine to defend itself against Russia’s aggression in accordance with the UN Charter Article 51.
None of this aid can be “used to spread chemical or biological agents”, contrary to what this disinformation story claims.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that the US is prolonging war in Ukraine to benefit from weapons sales, that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering, or that international support for Ukraine starts to decrease due to corruption.