Zakharova disinforms: The West supplies terrorists with weapons

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova disinformed the St Petersburg International Economic Forum that the West is supplying terrorists with weapons via Kiev, which are supposed to reach Africa, the Middle East and Western Europe.

What Zakharova said:

“The West is the main supplier of weapons to terrorists – they reach Africa, the Middle East and Western Europe via Kiev,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at the St Petersburg International Economic Forum. “NATO countries, the world’s minority, are supplying arms and, focus on this, they are supplying arms to a terrorist regime. The worst thing is that they are doing this completely uncontrolled,” the diplomat warned.

Analysis:

Zaharova’s statement that the West is supplying weapons to terrorists is baseless and false. While the West supports Ukraine in its legitimate defence against Russian aggression, claims that terrorists are being supplied with weapons are part of a wider Russian disinformation campaign.

Such accusations have no evidence and serve only to destabilise and create a false image of the West.

NATO countries are helping Ukraine in its struggle for sovereignty and territorial integrity. This support is strictly controlled and is aimed at legitimate resistance against the illegal Russian invasion. Russia’s attempts to portray the West as a destabilising factor are part of a strategy to divert attention from its own aggressive moves and violations of international law.

Russia has a long history of supplying arms to various regimes and groups, which often use these weapons in conflicts around the world. Their policy has often led to the destabilisation of the region, as is evident in Ukraine, where Russia’s invasion and support for separatists have been destabilising the country since 2014.

Zakharova’s statement is yet another attempt by Russian propaganda to distort reality and accuse the West of its own negative moves. Russia uses this type of disinformation as a tool to manipulate public opinion and distract attention from its illegal activities.

/The Geopost