Russian President Vladimir Putin has made unsubstantiated claims that Western weapons provided to Ukraine have found their way to the Taliban through the illegal arms market.
During a meeting with the Russian Civic Chamber, Putin discussed the alleged corruption within the Ukrainian government, which he suggests is facilitating the sale of these weapons.
This is reported by Newsweek.
Interpol's Secretary-General, Jürgen Stock, had previously warned that the influx of weapons into Ukraine could potentially be diverted to international organized crime groups.
Despite these concerns, Ukrainian officials assert that they are closely monitoring the weapons provided by Western nations to prevent such occurrences.
Putin's allegations extend to the assertion that in Ukraine, "everything is for sale," including the weapons intended for the Ukrainian military, which he claims are being sold to the Taliban and then distributed further.
The Russian state-controlled media outlet TASS also covered Putin's statements, where he further criticized the level of corruption in Ukraine, comparing it unfavorably to Russia.
He recounted interactions with former Ukrainian leaders, suggesting that corruption was a commonplace and accepted practice in Ukraine, to the extent that it seemed almost legalized.
While Putin acknowledged the presence of corruption in Russia, he emphasized that the scale and nature of corruption in Ukraine were of a different magnitude, implying a systemic and widespread issue.
