British Armed Forces Minister James Heppey admitted on Thursday that some of the weapons delivered to Kiev by Western backers may have changed hands before they reached the front line, without saying exactly how many or what kinds of weapons.
Last week, Scottish MP Kenny MacAskill asked the minister to estimate what proportion of British military aid sent to Ukraine had been resold before it reached the country’s forces.
Hebe responded on Thursday that the UK has “strict procedures” in place to ensure that all aid received through the international donor coordination center is delivered to the Ukrainian military.
However, he acknowledged that there had been “isolated – albeit extremely rare – reports” of the hijacking of front-line equipment delivered to Ukraine. He did not want to provide more details.
Russia has repeatedly warned that Western weapons sent to Kiev end up in the hands of organized crime groups and terrorists, destabilizing the security situation in the Middle East, Africa and Europe.
These concerns were echoed by Seymour Hersh, a veteran American investigative journalist. In late April, he claimed that the West was aware that his weapons were being sold by Ukrainian leaders to smugglers in countries like Poland and Romania.
By the end of March, the UK had provided 2.3 billion pounds ($2.9 billion) in military aid to Ukraine since the conflict began in February 2022, according to official figures, second only to the United States. Britain is also hosting a training program for Ukrainian forces, and wants to train up to 30,000 soldiers by the end of 2023.
Moscow has repeatedly warned the West that supporting Ukraine with weapons and training its forces makes it a direct participant in the conflict.
