How is Ukraine turning into the center of the world's latest weapons smuggling?
Author: Talib Aliyev, Sangar
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is not as straightforward as it might seem at first glance. It has long involved not only two sides - Russia and Ukraine. Western states (USA, Great Britain, France, etc.) take an active part and are intensively arming Kyiv with weapons and trying to economically tie Russia down with sanctions. Moskow retaliates toward the West. Other countries, regions, and even entire continents are being drawn into this whirlpool of events. In the countries that supply weapons to Ukraine, economic problems have begun in the form of rising prices for energy, food, and everyday goods. Large Western countries are leaving Russia, and efforts will be required to replace them and provide the population with a habitual way of life. Hunger is on the rise in Africa due to disruptions in food supplies. Inflation has also increased in the countries of Central Asia, the national currencies of the states set records in value and immediately become cheaper, which does not benefit the economy and also provokes a rise in prices.
It seems that all these problems have overshadowed the raging COVID-2019 and nothing could be worse. But if we assume that some of the Western weapons supplied to Ukraine will fall into illegal circulation, then the picture of what is happening may become completely different. According to Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock, he has no doubt that against the backdrop of the Ukrainian conflict, arms trafficking will increase. “Both in the Balkan region and in the African theaters of operations, we saw that organized crime is trying to take advantage of the chaos, the availability of weapons, even those used by the military,” the Interpol Secretary General explained.
Since the beginning of the year, the United States and other Western countries have increased the supply of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, this process continued after the start of the special operation of the Russian Federation. In addition to military vehicles, the Kyiv regime receives large quantities of Stinger and Starstreak MANPADS, Javelin and NLAW ATGMs, light anti-tank guns, howitzers, kamikaze drones, as well as small arms, helmets, and body armor. The task is not facilitated even by the presence of a serial number for weapons such as the Javelin anti-tank missile system. Pentagon officials report that they cannot say exactly where the weapons are located in Ukraine and whether Ukrainians are using them at the moment. The Ukrainian military does not tell its suppliers about each projectile fired and who and when fired. There is virtually no arms control.
In the event that high-tech weapons fall into the hands of radical elements, terrorist and criminal activities will acquire completely different scales. We will all then see a completely different world in which human life is worth nothing. If Stinger and Javelin have already fallen into the hands of terrorists, then the threat arises to the airspace, airports, and government buildings. Arms smuggling from Ukraine may very soon become everyone's number one problem. These weapons will spread all over the world and the largest volumes of this smuggling will most likely be sent to the CIS countries. In some of these states, “rehearsals” have already been held for attempts by hot young people to act against representatives of the legitimate authorities - Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. There is no peace in the Caucasus either - Armenia, Azerbaijan, or Georgia. Also, do not forget about the abandoned US military arsenal in Afghanistan. These weapons are also out of control and have fallen into the hands of international terrorist organizations.
For example, it has been repeatedly proven that American weapons are already being used by terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, ISIS, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Jamaat Ansarullah, Lashkari Tayiba, Tehriki Taliban Pakistan, and others. These organizations today operate freely and have their bases in Afghanistan. The Taliban themselves are still considered a terrorist organization and have literally received $85 billion worth of weapons from the US! And they, in turn, supplied these weapons to terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan under their auspices. These organizations directly threaten neighboring countries. Suffice it to recall the rocket attacks on Uzbekistan and Tajikistan by Afghanistan, as well as the events on the borders with Iran.
It remains only to wonder what the future holds for us if the uncontrolled supply of weapons by the United States continues.
