Russia spreads fake story about “Ukraine selling Western weapons on the black market” — CPD
Russian propaganda has intensified an old disinformation campaign alleging that Ukraine is “selling Western weapons on the black market.”
This was reported by the Centre for Countering Disinformation (CPD).
Pro-Russian outlets are spreading a fake claim that “over 70% of the weapons found with Mexico’s Jalisco New Generation cartel came from Western deliveries to Ukraine.” As “evidence,” a video is being shown bearing the logo of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
“In reality, the official resources of the Institute contain no such video or statements. This is a falsified story, styled to look like a well-known analytical institution. Such forgery is a characteristic feature of the Russian disinformation network ‘Matryoshka’, which systematically creates fake materials under the brands of reputable Western organisations,” the CPD emphasised.
The campaign is also marked by the fact that the false claims are spread by bots on social media, particularly in the comments under posts by major media outlets, timed with the anniversary of the start of Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine. This indicates the coordinated nature of the campaign.
“The narrative of ‘mass selling of Western weapons’ has been systematically promoted by Kremlin propaganda since 2022 with no evidence. The goal of such information attacks is to discredit Ukraine, undermine trust in military aid monitoring mechanisms, and reduce support for Kyiv among citizens of partner countries,” the Centre added.
Additionally, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has launched another wave of disinformation, accusing Western countries of secretly providing nuclear components to Kyiv.
