British News Agency

The SVR claimed that the SBU had established a mechanism for procuring handguns from European countries through intermediary companies in which European taxpayers' money was allegedly misused.

In a statement issued by the SVR press bureau, it was alleged that the weapons were supplied to Ukraine through a network of intermediaries in Eastern Europe and that the price per handgun was increased from 250 euros to 750 euros.

The statement alleged that a company called Wytwornia Broni Jacek Popinski, registered in Rogow in Poland's Lodz region, played a central role in the scheme. It claimed that the company purchased handguns from various sources, including the Panamanian branch of Austrian firearms manufacturer Glock, and resold them to Ukraine.

The SVR alleged that for every shipment of 5,000 handguns, 625,000 euros was transferred to accounts belonging to individuals close to the SBU leadership, and that the payments were allegedly covered by the Belgian and German defense ministries.

The statement also alleged that corruption on a similar scale occurred in Ukraine's purchases of more expensive weapons, particularly ammunition used in air defense systems.

The SVR argued that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's statements about an unexpected 27-billion-dollar shortfall in Ukraine's military budget could be connected to these allegations.

The Russian intelligence service also claimed that the Ukrainian leadership and its supporters in Europe would cover the shortfall with funds provided by European citizens.