DISINFO: Ukraine sells weapons to the Middle East
SUMMARY
The appearance of Ukrainian weapons in the vast Middle Eastern region is obvious. Weapons are supplied from Ukraine to the Middle East, including sold to representatives of the Taliban movement. And from there, it goes anywhere further.
RESPONSE
This is a pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative that is a part of a disinformation campaign against arms deliveries to Ukraine. This claim was made in the context of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the violent attacks of Hamas against Israel.
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 disinformation cases claiming that Hamas uses US weapons transferred by Ukrainian Nazi regime and Taliban and that Hamas uses NATO weapons sold by Ukraine.