A senior Russian diplomat has alleged that weapons supplied to Ukraine by the US have been found in the possession of Sudan’s paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), reviving concerns that Western arms sent to Kyiv are being diverted into conflict zones beyond Europe.
Yulia Zhdanova, head of Russia’s delegation to the Vienna Negotiations on Military Security and Arms Control, told the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Forum for Security Cooperation that Sudanese government forces had recovered weapons originally supplied to Ukraine during an operation near Bara.
According to Zhdanova, the weapons included MK19 automatic grenade launchers, M72 anti-tank weapons and Swedish-made AT4 launchers.
She said markings on the equipment indicated that the weapons had been transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces from US military stockpiles in December 2024.
The allegations could add to a long-running dispute between Russia and Western governments over the tracking of military aid sent to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
The US and its allies have supplied Kyiv with billions of dollars worth of military assistance, including air-defence systems, artillery, armoured vehicles, missiles, ammunition and anti-tank weapons, arguing that the support is necessary for Ukraine to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Russia, however, has repeatedly claimed that some Western-supplied weapons are being diverted through illicit channels and ending up in the hands of armed groups outside Ukraine.
Moscow has cited the risk of uncontrolled proliferation of advanced military equipment as one of the unintended consequences of large-scale arms transfers to Kyiv.
JN/APA