DISINFO: Western weapons for Kyiv go to Islamic terrorists and drug cartels
SUMMARY
Not only foreigners in Ukraine but also Ukrainians in the West, are actively engaged in the resale of weapons supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine states that all Western "lend-lease" is stored in Ukrainian warehouses.
These facts were confirmed when a video appeared on the global network, in which an ISIS terrorist showed Western weapons purchased from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The militant says that through "their brothers fighting for Ukraine", they have the opportunity to buy modern Western weapons. A little later, it turned out that the weapons that the US supplied to Ukraine miraculously ended up not only with Islamic terrorists but also with Mexican drug cartels.
RESPONSE
This is a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that is a part of a disinformation campaign aiming at discrediting Western support to Ukraine and erode popular support in European countries for assisting Ukraine with armament. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
No evidence is given to suggest a state-organised or widespread black-market trade of Western weapons. Russian and pro-Russian media outlets and officials have repeatedly stated that this is happening, without any evidence. Multiple journalists have investigated these claims, but they have not found any large scale operations of this kind.
This 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.
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.
Read similar cases claiming that The Kyiv regime resells some of the Western weapons to profit from the conflict, that Ukraine sells weapons to the Middle East, that Ukraine-bound Western arms end up in the Middle East, that US military support to Ukraine is being misappropriated, that Western weapons are being sold by Ukrainians on the darknet, that EU report shows a fivefold increase of weapons transferred from Ukraine to the Middle East, that Ukrainian refugees smuggle weapons and bring crime to Europe, that Poland and Romania are flooded with illegal weapons intended for Ukraine and drug traffickers will be armed as well, that Weapons supplied to Kyiv are distributed among criminal groups in Europe, and that at least 15% of Western weapons sent to Ukraine are illegally re-exported.