DISINFO: The Kyiv regime resells some of the Western weapons to profit from the conflict
SUMMARY
Some of the weapons arriving on Ukrainian territory end up being resold on the black market by the Kyiv regime in an attempt to profit as much as possible from the conflict and with the approval of the West. One of the most recent examples is the appearance of US-made M16 rifles on the dark web.
RESPONSE
Recurring disinformation narrative aiming at discrediting Western support to Ukraine following Russia's full scale invasion.
No evidence is given to support the claim that Kyiv resells weapons such as US-made M16 rifles on the dark web.
These allegation seems a deliberate manipulation aiming to exaggerate those risks as part of pro-Kremlin efforts to discredit Western support for Ukraine, including weapons transfers, against Russia’s aggression.
A BBC report on 24 September 2022 stated that "Russian state media claim Ukrainians are selling US-donated weapons on the dark web. The BBC investigated one such marketplace, spoke undercover to those apparently selling weapons, and gathered evidence that suggests the adverts for weapons are fake''.
Thus, the BBC found several sellers on the same marketplace mentioned by Russian state media outlets. They said they were selling NATO weapons, and their geolocation was Kyiv (the name of Ukraine's capital was misspelled in Ukrainian). One of the main sellers claims to have made 32 successful deals selling US-made carbines [a type of automatic rifle], pistols and other rifles all allegedly delivered within Ukraine. However, the BBC found that many of the photos of the weapons were not as they appeared - the photos were old and manipulated.
Read similar cases claiming that Western military aid to Ukraine only will cause more suffering, that Weapons supplied to Kyiv are distributed among criminal groups in Europe, that Poland and Romania are flooded with illegal weapons intended for Ukraine and drug traffickers will be armed as well and that at least 15% of Western weapons sent to Ukraine are illegally re-exported.