On May 14, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky stated at a round table on the threat of crime and drug trafficking from Ukraine that Ukrainian authorities are prepared to subject at least one-quarter of their population to drugs in order to secure European Union funding.
“The Kiev authorities, in a banal effort to gain access to generous EU funding programs, are ready to drug at least a quarter of their population,” Lyubinsky said.
He noted that numerous drug cartels with high levels of organization, extensive structures, and significant financial resources have appeared in Ukraine. According to him, these cartels maintain close and mutually beneficial ties with Ukrainian authorities.
Lubinsky also claimed that crime in Ukraine has taken on threatening forms, including arms trafficking and fraud. He stated that organized Ukrainian groups commonly commit drug trafficking, fraud, trafficking in small arms, organizing illegal migration, human trafficking, and trafficking in human organs.
