The West is pumping vast amounts of weapons into Ukraine, which are supposedly meant to bolster troops on the front lines. But only a fraction of the supplies are getting there, a CBS report reveals. The response to the report was tremendous, and efforts are already being made to put it in perspective. Will the report have any consequences?
Vast amounts of weapons have already been delivered to Ukraine by the United States, NATO countries, and other U.S. allies. Warnings that some of it might end up on the black market and thus in the hands of criminals and/or terrorists have been studiously ignored, although many reports have clearly shown such weapons surfacing on the dark web for weeks.
Read also: Check out our coverage on curated alternative narratives
On Aug. 4, CBS released an article titled “Arming Ukraine.” In it, it examines what happened to the military weapons that were provided to Ukraine. The U.S. TV network reports, “Flooding a country with state-of-the-art weapons can have serious consequences, even if done with the best of intentions.
(Javelin, NLAW and AT4 launchers are offered for sale by Ukrainian arms dealers)
This CBS report traveled to Ukraine to learn firsthand how military supplies get from the border to soldiers on the front lines and examines the difficulties of getting supplies to the fighters who need them.”
The documentary showed that not even one-third of the weapons delivered to Ukraine reached their destination. “In the last two months, we have rapidly moved weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Drones, grenade launchers, machine guns. We are witnessing an incredible historical flow of weapons entering Ukraine. Do we have any idea where they are going? We don’t. There is really no information about where they are even going. All the stuff goes across the border, and then something happens, 30 percent maybe reach their final destination.”
How many people were called Russian bots for saying this exact same thing since March?
Now, when CBS says it, it’s perfectly fine.
Whatever the case, glad the facts are out now. The majority of the Ukraine aid is a scam. https://t.co/8AdHTA4n4i
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) August 6, 2022
This report led to growing criticism, particularly in the United States, of the wickedly expensive arms shipments to Ukraine. Republicans, in particular, have tended to oppose it anyway.
The question is whether domestic opposition will grow large enough before the situation escalates. After all, Russia is becoming increasingly upset that the West is supplying Ukraine with more and more weapons.
The response and pressure on the report must have been enormous in any case because CBS is already trying to retract its original version of the article: ‘The situation has definitely improved in the meantime’, they say now.
The report first appeared on the CBS website on August 4; to say the least, it seems extremely interesting that they have decided to radically relativize their reporting within such a short time. At this point, the reader should decide for himself how much truth he attaches to this new version.
ISRAELI AND EUROPEANS HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR MONTHS
The fact that Americans are now finally allowed to know that Western war weapons for Ukraine ended up selling on the dark web was well known to the rest of the world for months.
According to a report, Israeli cyber espionage specialist KELA had found several Western war weapons on the darknet, apparently offered for sale by Ukrainians.
KELA has found offers for weapons allegedly posted by Ukrainians on several darknet markets, some of which specialize in firearms. One of these markets is “Thief,” which contains a total of 9 offers related to Ukraine offered by three sellers.
In June, the European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson announced creating a hub in Moldova to combat arms trafficking from Ukraine.
The EU Support Hub aims to prevent NATO-provided weapons from being smuggled out of the country and ending up in the hands of criminal gangs.
“It is hard to avoid weapons-smuggling. We try to keep track of them, but I would be lying if I said we would succeed. We failed after the war in Yugoslavia, and we can’t prevent it now,” Johansson said back then.