DISINFO: The West provides Ukraine with scrap metal weapons

DISINFORMATION CASE DETAILS

  • Outlet: RIA ( archive, original )
  • Date of publication: January 03, 2023
  • Article language(s): Russian
  • Countries / regions discussed: Ukraine, US, EU

DISINFO: The West provides Ukraine with scrap metal weapons

SUMMARY

Western countries are supplying Ukraine with outdated weapons in order to upgrade their own arsenals. The Western military aid flows to Ukraine in a continuous stream, but most is in poor technical condition, just scrap metal and junk from old military warehouses, which is confirmed by Ukrainian military personnel.

Under the pretext of military assistance [to Ukraine], Washington pursues its own goals and lobbies the sale of weapons in the interests of its own military-industrial complex. [The Western military aid to Ukraine] is just sabotage from the West, which wants to use the allocated funds to modernise its own weapons.

RESPONSE

A recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the American military-industrial complex and allegedly aggressive American military plans.

The claim that Western military aid delivered to Ukraine is made of “scrap metal, junk and outdated weapons” is ungrounded. In recent months, Ukraine has received the most advanced and hi-tech weapons from Western countries such as the Javelin and Stinger complexes, HIMARS missile complexes and dozens of other types of advanced military equipment. Moreover, as a response to barbaric Russian missile attacks on the Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, the US announced the delivery of the Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine.

Together with these modern and hi-tech weapons, Western countries also deliver large volumes of Soviet-made weapons and ammunition to Ukraine because they are the primary weapons used by the Ukrainian Army.

Western countries provide military aid to Ukraine in order to enable the country to defend itself from large-scale Russian aggression. The claim that the West provides this aid in order to “clean up its army warehouses in order to upgrade its own arsenals" seeks to deflect attention away from the real reason: Ukraine's defence against Russian agression.

See similar disinformation cases claiming that the US weapon and military technology providers benefit from prolonging the war in Ukraine; Europe is a colony serving the interests of the American military-industrial complex and US companies promote war in Ukraine to sell weapons.

Disclaimer

Cases in the EUvsDisinfo database focus on messages in the international information space that are identified as providing a partial, distorted, or false depiction of reality and spread key pro-Kremlin messages. This does not necessarily imply, however, that a given outlet is linked to the Kremlin or editorially pro-Kremlin, or that it has intentionally sought to disinform. EUvsDisinfo publications do not represent an official EU position, as the information and opinions expressed are based on media reporting and analysis of the East Stratcom Task Force.

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