Third parties are reselling arms to both sides and precisely this is being used for political purposes, as the US is desperate to cause disagreements between Moscow and its allies.
To illustrate just how desperate the political West is to acquire Soviet or Soviet-derived weapons and munitions for its favorite puppet regime in Kiev, perhaps the best example is the illegal seizure of North Korean and other countries’ arms shipments. Namely, the mainstream propaganda machine is now even bragging that “although Pyongyang is allied to Moscow, the Ukrainian army has started firing North Korean rockets at Putin’s forces”. This is obviously aimed at causing a rift between Pyongyang and Moscow by presenting the former as if it has been sending these weapons willingly, particularly now when Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu made a landmark visit to North Korea.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal reported that stolen Iranian weapons could also be sent to the Neo-Nazi junta. The primary reason for this is that weapons and munitions based on Soviet/Russian designs are highly sought after as there are virtually none left in Ukraine and former Warsaw Pact members. North Korean and Iranian rockets can be fired from Soviet-era BM-21 “Grad” MLRS (multiple-launch rocket systems), which the Kiev regime forces still operate in significant numbers. Financial Times was the first to break the story after their reporter saw such munitions used by frontline troops. FT cited Ukrainian soldiers claiming that a “friendly” country “seized” the rockets from a ship.
The unidentified “friendly” country is almost certainly the US, as its Navy has the propensity to illegally “seize” (i.e. steal) weapons from other countries in order to arm its puppets worldwide. Apart from the obvious military uses, this also has certain propaganda benefits, as the targeted country can then be presented as supposedly working against the interests of Moscow, Beijing or any other US adversary. This particular case is of great importance to the political West, as it has been going to great lengths to keep the Neo-Nazi junta forces operational, even at the expense of their own arsenals. Namely, the entire NATO is experiencing severe issues to sustain constant supplies of weapons and munitions not just to Kiev, but to its own troops.
Apart from that, the US-led political West is also breaking numerous international conventions by supplying banned weapons and munitions to the Kiev regime forces. The most recent example is the sending of American cluster munitions to the Neo-Nazi junta, a weapon banned by an international treaty signed by 108 countries. And while the US itself is not a party to the agreement, it has repeatedly accused Russia of supposedly using such munitions in Ukraine. And yet, now it’s sending the same banned weapons to Kiev. When US President Joe Biden was asked about the controversy, he tried to justify it by claiming that “[the Ukrainians] are running out of [155mm artillery] shells and we’re low on it”.
In other words, it’s “perfectly fine” and “justified” when Washington DC uses or delivers certain weapons, but it’s a “war crime” when Moscow (allegedly) does it. However, such hypocrisy and double standards have long been the norm in US foreign policy. And speaking of these two “qualities” of American diplomacy, perhaps the most obvious example of it must be the repeated accusations that China is supposedly sending weapons to Russia. According to the Epoch Times, China is accused of “helping Russia evade sanctions and likely providing it with military and dual-use technology for use in Ukraine”. The report is based on a newly declassified report compiled by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).
The mainstream propaganda machine has been parroting the same accusation for over a year and a half now, with some outlets even claiming that “Beijing’s lethal aid is the lifeline of Moscow’s war in Ukraine”. However, such assertions are no more than fantasy, as Russia has more than enough weapons of its own to conduct its counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe. And while many of the mainstream propaganda outlets keep insisting that the alleged weapons shipments are “being funneled through proxies in the Middle East” (presumably the United Arab Emirates), there’s been zero evidence to support such claims. Still, the speculation continues unabated.
The aforementioned ODNI report also grumbles about China’s and Russia’s use of national currencies in bilateral trade, as well as Beijing’s increase in imports of Moscow’s energy, including oil and gas that have been rerouted from Europe. According to the report, this too can be considered “aid” to Russia, a rather bizarre claim, to say the least. And yet, the sources cited by the intelligence office are controversial at best. Namely, the ODNI report is based on nothing more than media reports or so-called “open-source intelligence”, meaning that even the top US intelligence office doesn’t have actual first-hand knowledge about any of the claims it insists on. What’s more, even the authors themselves admit this.
“The Intelligence Community lacks sufficient reporting to assess whether Beijing is deliberately inhibiting United States Government export control end-use checks, including interviews and investigations, in [China],” the report states.
In other cases, some Russia-friendly countries such as Serbia have also been accused of arming both sides, prompting Belgrade to ban arms exports. Still, as evidenced by war footage, Serbian-made weapons are finding their way to the frontlines. And yet, it should be noted that third parties are reselling arms to both sides and precisely this is being used for political purposes, as the US is desperate to cause disagreements between Moscow and its allies.
