Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on weapons supplies to Hamas
14 October 2023 13:51
2054-14-10-2023
There is much speculation in Western countries regarding the latest round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, with attempts being made to accuse the Russian Federation of involvement in supplying Hamas paramilitary groups with weapons and ammunition. There are even fantastic insinuations about setting up production of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the Gaza Strip "with Russian assistance," as well as ammunition for them. I would like to say the following on this matter.
Russia has created a highly effective export control system that has been tested in practice and legislatively in defence cooperation with foreign partners. We consistently advocate for the institutionalisation of such universal and proven instruments in the system of export control regimes at the national, regional and global levels as: ensuring state control over the circulation of small arms and light weapons throughout their entire life cycle; preventing the illicit production of small arms and light weapons, including without licenses from the countries that own the relevant technologies; strict government regulation of brokerage activities related to arms exports; introducing a universal ban on the transfer of all types of small arms and light weapons to entities that are not authorised by the governments of the recipient states; and strictly adhering to the procedure for issuing end-user certificates.
Agreements on inspections of the intended use of previously supplied military products, components, spare parts and ammunition for them are regularly implemented as part of defence cooperation with partner countries.
In contrast, the hunt launched by NATO countries, their partners and satellites around the world for Soviet/Russian weapons and ammunition, as well as their unmanageable desire to support in every way possible the combat effectiveness of the Kiev regime's armed formations by supplying ever more advanced models of Western military equipment, indicate their irresponsible approaches and double standards on export control regimes in the field of interstate transfers of military products. All conceivable and inconceivable methods are used to achieve the desired result. They use political pressure, material and financial incentives, blackmail, and sometimes outright threats against the leaders of some countries and members of their families. At the same time, Washington and its closest allies are undertaking extensive efforts to replace Russian/Soviet developments on the world market of military products that have proven to be highly competitive with their own analogues offered at exorbitant prices, products that are far from perfect and ineffective in practical application.
At the same time, the cynicism and impunity of the collective West led by the US are sometimes overwhelming. It is enough to recall the publicised story of the Czech Republic expropriating, on Washington's orders, several dozen T-72 tanks from Morocco, which were being upgraded at a Czech enterprise, for their subsequent transfer to Ukraine. The White House took the same course of action with the MI-8 and Mi-17 military transport helicopters previously purchased from Russia for the needs of the Afghan government, which were undergoing repairs in third countries.
There is also outright double-dealing and the use of grey schemes when purchasing on the world market anything that could somehow support the armed formations of the Kiev regime, such as using unscrupulous brokerage companies, shell companies, fictitious contracts and end-user certificates, as well as other documentation. The current sanction regimes against some countries are also being violated everywhere to supply military equipment and dual-use products to Ukraine, requisitioned mainly during the pirate missions of the Euro-Atlantic allies on the main routes of international maritime transport.
In fact, everything that was delivered to the thoroughly corrupt Kiev regime by its Western masters is spreading uncontrollably throughout the world. Ukrainian officials and criminal structures are profiting from this, as well as transnational crime syndicates and, of course, those in power in Washington and other capitals of the collective West obsessed with anti-Russia sentiments.
Russia has tirelessly reminded NATO and EU countries that they are violating their obligations undertaken proactively under the International Arms Trade Treaty and the EU Common Position, which establishes rules for controlling the export of military technology and equipment. These documents address the ban on the transfer of conventional weapons and ammunition where there is credible evidence that such military equipment will be used to commit acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, serious violations of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, attacks on civilian infrastructure and other war crimes.
A wide range of international agreements aimed at minimising the risks of high-precision weapons going into shadow circulation are also grossly ignored, such as UN General Assembly resolution 62/40, Prevention of the illicit transfer and unauthorised access to and use of man-portable air defence systems of 2007 and Elements of export controls for man-portable air defence systems of 2003, agreed upon as part of the Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls of Conventional Arms.
In short, the collective West is ready to do anything to preserve its notorious world order, based on some rules it has invented for itself.
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