russia has launched a disinformation campaign against Ukraine, the European Union and NATO about alleged «smuggling» of arms supplied by allies.

The procedure for controlling the movement of equipment supplied using the European Peace Facility is ensured during the entire supply process and after its completion in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Of course, this process is as transparent as the current situation allows. After all, the weapons supplied to Ukraine are a potential target for hostile actions by the russian aggressor. Therefore, operational details regarding the supply of such equipment are not commented on. But the relevant information about the nature of the supplies made thanks to EU funds is reflected in the decisions of the EU Council.

As Pentagon spokesman General Patrick Ryder stated during a briefing on December 14, the United States has not received any confirmation that Western weapons provided to Ukraine as defense aid could have been diverted to third countries. On December 14, EU Foreign and Security Policy Spokesman Peter Stano confirmed that the EU considers information about «weapons smuggling» from Ukraine is massive russian propaganda. The European Union Police Service (Europol) said it has no evidence of arms smuggling from Ukraine and is working closely with the Ukrainian side to prevent this problem.

They also want to create a hub in Ukraine to better inform about the use of the provided weapons. To this end, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted for Resolution No. 7563 on the establishment of a Temporary Special Commission on monitoring the receipt and use of international material and technical assistance during martial law.

❓ Why does russia so persistently spread fake news about the weapons smuggling provided to Ukraine?

By spreading the fakes about smuggling, the aggressor country wants to disrupt the supply of Western weapons, which plays a decisive role in the liberation of the territory of Ukraine, trying to change the situation at the front in its favor.

Thus, the kremlin is trying to divert the attention of the world community from the facts of smuggling and non-targeted use of weapons by russia itself. The confirmation is the persistence of the kremlin regarding the exchange of the russian intermediary for the illegal arms trade V. Bout.

Although during military parades and demonstration tests of new models of military equipment and weapons, russian experts emphasize that there are «no analogues», expert analysis proves the opposite.

For example, the analysis of the wreckage of the 9M727 missile, which has been used since the beginning of the war against infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, by specialists of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), proved that the missile’s computer is almost entirely assembled from American microelectronics. And the Kinzhal hypersonic missile, with which russian propagandists scare NATO, is an aerial modification of the 9M727, and also consists of American components. The computers of the russian anti-aircraft missile complex TOR-2M, Iskander-M, Kalibr and X-101 missiles contain a British-made oscillator (a device for voltage stabilization).

The RUSI report notes that the russian IL-76 amphibious aircraft contains 80 imported components that are not manufactured by the russian federation, and the GLONASS navigation system, which is used to guide missiles, is completely dependent on imported microcircuits.

Aqueduct radio stations contain components from the USA, the Netherlands, Korea and Japan, the Orlan UAV has a GPS module from the Swiss company U-blox, a starter-generator from the American Texas Instruments Incorporated, and a flight controller from the French-Italian STMicroelectronics.

The russian federation involves its allies (Iran, India) in smuggling schemes and actively uses the opportunities of the criminal world, which carries out illegal arms trafficking.

On the russian «black market» of contraband weapons in russia there are from 5 to 20 million units of various firearms, mostly stolen from military warehouses. Customers of the illegal arms market in russia are criminal groups and terrorist organizations. Recently, the russian military in Ukraine and militants from the uncontrolled areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions have become the source of illegal weapons and ammunition.

❓How can we struggle with the russian smuggling of technologies and weapons?

The de facto closure of smuggling channels by the USA and the EU after February 24 caused the Western world to face an unprecedented threat of illegal export of technology and weapons to the russian federation.

In order to overcome it, it is necessary to significantly strengthen control over vulnerable areas, namely:

🔸 Create a comprehensive list of Western technologies that the aggressor uses in military equipment. Western partners can be helped in this by Ukraine, where the occupiers leave military equipment.

🔸 It is necessary to strengthen control over the sale of sensitive electronics produced by third countries using Western technologies, and to introduce a mechanism for tracking the product even after its export.