The Center for Public Diplomacy Debunked a False Claim That Ukraine Sold Weapons and Drones to the Italian Mafia
Russian propaganda is spreading false information about Ukraine’s alleged sale of Western weapons and attack drones to Italian mafia groups. To this end, they are manipulating a statement by Palermo’s chief prosecutor, Maurizio De Luccia.
The Center for Counter-Disinformation noted that Russian propaganda outlets, citing statements by Maurizio De Luccia and Italian media, claim that more than 780,000 units of Western weapons, delivered to Ukraine, were stolen and ended up on the black market.
However, as the Center emphasized, this information is not true.
In fact, the figure of 780,465 is the official statistic from the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs regarding lost and stolen civilian and personal firearms since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion and has no connection whatsoever to military aid from Western partners.
The Center also refuted claims that the Ukrainian military allegedly supplied drones to the Italian mafia.
The Center explained that Palermo’s Chief Prosecutor, Maurizio De Lucia, did not claim that the mafia had purchased drones specifically from Ukraine.
The Italian publication cited by Russian propagandists merely reported on law enforcement concerns regarding the potential growth of the black market for weapons in Europe due to the war.
According to the prosecutor, mafia groups are merely showing interest in modern military technologies and seeking opportunities to acquire drones; however, Ukraine was not mentioned in this context.
The Center for Public Diplomacy (CPD) reiterated that Ukraine operates a multi-level system for tracking and controlling the use of weapons provided by international partners, in which the supplier countries are also involved.
The Center emphasized that since the start of the full-scale war, no evidence has been made public of Ukraine selling Western weapons on the black market.
According to the Center’s assessment, the goal of this disinformation campaign is to discredit Ukraine, undermine international partners’ trust in Ukraine’s arms control system, and weaken support for Ukraine’s defense sector.
This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD).
In addition, Russian propaganda is spreading false information about the alleged recruitment of students into the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Unmanned Systems Forces at a higher education institution in Kyiv. The Center for Countering Disinformation stated that this is yet another fake story aimed at discrediting Ukrainian education and the Armed Forces.
The Center for Countering Disinformation also reported a large-scale Russian information attack targeting the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Major General Mykhailo Drapaty. Russian propaganda is spreading fake statements allegedly made on his behalf.
The Center stated that there is no official information regarding Iran’s preparations for a strike against Ukraine.
Russia’s war against Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East are becoming increasingly intertwined and could become part of a broader global confrontation.
Iran possesses a significant arsenal of medium-range ballistic missiles, some of which are potentially capable of reaching Ukrainian territory if launched from Iranian territory. Analysts have assessed the capabilities of Iran’s missile arsenal and identified the most dangerous models.
