NATO's weapons supply to Ukraine may divert cache to illegal sale & black market: Russia

Amid intensified Russia-led invasion of Ukraine and relentless resistance put forth by Volodymyr Zelenskyy's forces, former Russian officials warned that further supply of weapons to the war-hit nation may divert the cache to black markets. Given the lawlessness currently in and around Kyiv and the incessant supply of weapons to Ukraine, the Russian official expressed concerns over unregulated arms that can perpetuate and exacerbate the long-standing conflict.

Former Deputy of Russian FSB Oleg Syromolotov said, "Over the past month and a half, the United States supplied Kyiv with USD 1.65 billion in weapons."

"At the same time, Kyiv cannot ensure the safe storage of weapons supplied by NATO, it may end up on the black markets of other countries," he added.

'One of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe'

The statement holds relevance because, since the inception of the Russian attacks in Ukraine on February 24, gritty images and visuals of Ukrainian residents lining up to grab arms and weapons hit the bulletin amid the crisis. It may be noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy directed his citizens, via televised message, to join hands with security armed forces and come forward to defend their homeland. It was directed at the youth and men of Ukraine to hold the gun while children, ladies and the elderly were asked to flee the country via safe passages. 

This was considered lawful and under the provision of the United Nations Charter because a country has the right to self-defence in the face of an invasion. However, reports suggest that flooding weapons into the Global Organised Crime Index describes as 'one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe, amounting to the key ingredient of further disaster in the region.

The risk of diversion ramped up after over 20 countries have pledged to or delivered billions of dollars of military hardware aid to Ukraine in the past two months. The diversion is said to take place when arms, ammunition, weapons and supplies like fuel are redirected from their intended recipients in an illegal manner. 

Russia-Ukraine war

On the pretext of carrying out a 'special military operation', Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered military offensives across Ukraine on February 24. Dismissing every international order and warning, the Kremlin continued its attacks and caused fear across Kyiv over its heavily-anticipated alliance with NATO.

As days passed and countries announced heavy sanctions on the Russian economy, an unperturbed Putin launched more military offensives in Kyiv for over weeks. While the world outpoured solidarity with Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President urged civilians to pick up arms and combat Russians while the Kremlin has not stopped. 

The United Nations, in the second week of March, announced that over 3.4 million residents of Ukraine had been displaced already and Europe witnessed the largest refugee influx in its history since World War II.