Moscow has long accused Kiev of selling Western weaponry on the black market and arming terrorists in Africa
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has announced plans to open nearly a dozen weapons export centers across Europe this year.
Kiev remains heavily dependent on Western financial and military aid, which has totaled hundreds of billions of dollars since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022. Zelensky had previously stated that Ukraine would export surplus military equipment, including naval drones and anti-tank weapons.
In a statement on Sunday, Zelensky announced that export centers in Germany, the Baltics, and Nordic states could be operating as early as this year.
Russian officials have long accused Kiev of fueling global arms proliferation through the black market and have specifically alleged that Ukraine has supplied weapons, including those it received from the West, to militant groups in Africa.
Last week, Russian envoy to the UN Vassily Nebenzia reiterated the accusations and told the Security Council that “the Kiev regime is actively involved in… supplying terrorists with weapons, including drones, and training fighters,” citing the Sahel region as an example.
Mali’s Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga has accused Kiev of supplying kamikaze drones to terrorists.
On Sunday, Zelensky also announced that in addition to Ukrainian drone production lines already running in the UK, new ones are set to begin operating in Germany by mid-February, with the first drones soon to be delivered.
The shift to establishing production and export hubs in Europe comes amid continued Russian strikes on Ukraine’s domestic military-industrial and energy infrastructure.
On Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported conducting a large-scale retaliatory strike on Ukraine’s energy and military infrastructure, stating that it hit facilities involved in drone production and storage.
Since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, Moscow has consistently opposed all financial and military aid to Kiev, arguing it only prolongs hostilities and threatens international security without affecting the inevitable outcome of the conflict.
