Allegations of arms smuggling from Ukraine distort reality, undermine defense aid - expert

23.07.2022 10:00

Ukrinform

The recent allegations claiming western weapons could be smuggled out of Ukraine distort the reality on the ground, since in a warring country it is impossible to set up total control over such weapons as firearms, therefore isolated cases do not affect the general situation. Therefore such statements work to undermine the ongoing defense aid to Ukraine.

This was stated by Oleksandr V. Danylyuk, Head of the Center for Defense Reforms, Coordinator of the Interdepartmental Platform for Combating Hybrid Threats, which operates within the framework of Ukraine-NATO cooperation, who spoke with Guildhall.

"It’s necessary to be very careful with the allegations of arms smuggling from Ukraine as they distort the real situation. After all, they take, for example, an incident involving small arms, and then the media and the Russian agents of influence spin it as if it were almost a HIMARS smuggling effort. Absolute control, for example, over small arms is impossible anywhere, especially in a country where a war in ongoing, and isolated cases affect nothing," said the expert.

"Such statements are being actively used by the Russian special services and agents of influence in Western nations, in particular by fringe politicians and public organizations, and work to undermine Western defense aid to Ukraine," Oleksandr V. Danylyuk concluded.

Earlier, Germany’s Spiegel, with reference to Europol, reported cases of black market trade in small arms imported from Ukraine, while stopping short of citing any evidence of such alleged incidents.