DISINFO: At least 15 percent of Western weapons sent to Ukraine are illegally re-exported
SUMMARY
According to official data, at least 15 percent of Western weapons sent to Ukraine are illegally re-exported. They can continue sending those weapons to Ukraine, but then they shouldn’t be surprised if these arms end up in another part of the world. Those unconstrained supplies are a very serious issue.
RESPONSE
There is no evidence to support this affirmation. According to RT Spanish, this statistic is allegedly provided by the Moscow-based Centre for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT). The claim seems to come from a comment to RIA Novosti by the Head of CAWAT Igor Korotchenko, who said: “According to expert estimates, at least 15% of the Western weapons received by Ukraine are re–exported under illegal schemes”. The allegation, however, is not backed by further data, nor are these “expert” sources identified.
There are legitimate concerns about the transparency in the supply process of Western weapons, as the US and other governments have explained that they don’t have the means to monitor the final destination of these arms. Ukraine has also long been identified as a global hubspot for weapons illicit trafficking. However, in this specific case, the allegation seems a deliberate manipulation aiming to exaggerate those risks as part of pro-Kremlin efforts to discredit Western support for Ukraine, including weapons transfers, against Russia’s aggression.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives in our database, such as claims that the weapons supplied by the West by Ukraine are actually useless, that US companies promote war in Ukraine to sell weapons, that by arming Ukrainians the West is triggering a conflict with Russia, or that Ukraine is paying for weapons with grain.