On June 1st, social media began to discuss the fact that AT-4 grenade launchers from Ukraine went to Mexican cartels. To prove it, a video of a associate of a criminal organization carrying this weapon was presented. However, these claims are given without any evidence that the weapons originate in Ukraine. They besides fit into the narratives promoted by the Kremlin from the beginning of a full-scale invasion.
No evidence
More about our evaluation system:One of the people who sound The full case, was Vivek Ramaswamy, competing in the primary for Republican candidate for the seat of the American President. It was based on claims on the Indian portal Firstpost. In turn Firstpost refers to Russian propaganda average RT. Thus, everything points to false information coming from the Kremlovian propaganda.
Quick narratives about a grenade launcher in the hands of Mexican cartels started conquer American Twitter. shortly after, they came to Poland, where made available eat accounts known for spreading pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian content. Among them There he is. @coolfonpl user, who has been identified by factchecking organizations on many occasions as a vector of the entry of the Krellian propaganda into the Polish infosphere.
Source: twitter.comWhat do we see in the video?
The recording and its fragments circulating on social media come from the news program of Mexican tv Milenio TV. The information was presented by writer Azucena Uresti, and the full recording We can find the material on her twitter profile. In the video of May 31, 2023 we see a associate of Grupo Escorpión. The group can be recognized by the distinctive logo that is visible on the video. Grupo Escorpión is the armed arm of Cártel del Golfo, 1 of the most powerful cartels in Mexico. Gangster carries an anti-tank grenade launcher on his arm. The movie itself was recorded by 1 of the gang members in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. Grupo Escorpión liable was Among another things, for kidnapping 4 American citizens and murdering 2 of them in March this year.
Source: twitter.comPlease add that account @CitizenFreePres on Twitter, which duplicate false narratives have besides manipulated Azucena Uresti's statement. The presenter did not propose that the weapon came from Ukraine. She gave our east neighbour simply as an example of a country that uses specified grenade launchers.
AT-4 grenade launchers from Ukraine?
In spite of the information it reproduces Vivek Ramaswamy is Firstpost, the movie features a Swedish AT-4 grenade launcher, not an American anti-tank rocket launcher led by FGM-148 Javelin. Most of the remaining accounts duplicating this misinformation have given the appropriate weapons model. Precisely, the grenade launcher presented on the video is simply a modified AT-4 licence version, i.e. M136 produced in the United States. Ukraine was at least hit 6,000 pieces of this weapon. It's besides there. much cheaper Weapons than FGM-148 Javelin.
There is no evidence that the M136 in the movie came from Ukraine. The Mexican cartels had it in their possession before. Here. You can see the video from March 2022. On another movie The American grenade launcher of the erstwhile generation, or M72 LAW, is visible. All indications are that this kind of weapon has been going to Mexican cartels for a long time. most likely his. place of origin is South America, where armies of countries specified as Brazil, Argentina and Chile have them equipped. Like the guerrilla group — the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. As indicated report of 2009, due to the advanced level of corruption and the presence of various paramilitary arms groups, it was regularly stolen or redeemed from the military, from where it came to the black market.
Source: twitter.comBringing weapons out of warehouses, although little often, besides happens in the United States. Investigation The Associated Press of 2021 showed that stolen U.S. Army equipment went to gangs and cartels in America. Among them were besides anti-tank grenade launchers, which could then scope Mexico. It is so not amazing that Mexican cartels are able to get specified weapons through their wide capabilities. It is surely easier to smuggle them from neighbouring countries than from the distant Ukraine war.
AT-4 grenade launchers from Ukraine do not hit the black market
Interesting lessons come from the wide report of March 2023, created by Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, an expert organization to make an anti-organised crime strategy. The study indicates that there is no serious outflow of arms from the Ukrainian army to the black market. So far, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have effectively stopped this kind of activity. The text warns that the hazard of specified a phenomenon will increase after the end of the conflict, but so far the narratives created primarily by Russian propaganda are not actually covered.
Summary
Once again, creamy propaganda attempts to accuse Ukraine of selling weapons on the black market. Again, however, there is no evidence to support these too. Mexican drug cartels have long utilized anti-tank grenade launchers and many another weapons. It comes primarily from South America, where corruption and local unrest origin large amounts of weapons to enter the black market. Experts point out that so far the Ukrainian authorities are effectively halting the movement of weapons from armed forces to criminal organizations.
Sources
Military Today: http://military-today.com/firearms/m136.htm
CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/15/politics/biden-military-assistance-Ukraine/
Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/video-mexican-cartels-ukraine-sourced-javelin-launcher-debunked-1804093
Small Arm Survey: https://www.smallarmssurvey.org/sites/default/files/resources/SAS-WP7-Surplus-Arms-in-South-America.pdf
Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime: https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mark-Galeotti-and-Anna-Arutunyan-Peace-and-proliferation-The-Russo-Ukrainian-war-and-the-illegal-arms-trade-GI-TOC-March-2023.pdf
