Belgium will ask Kyiv for clarifications on reports that Russian anti-Kremlin militias had allegedly used Belgian-made weapons provided to Ukraine during the Belgorod incursion, Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said, as reported by Reuters on June 5.
Earlier, the Washington Post wrote that Russian anti-government groups fighting on Ukraine's side had purportedly used riffles made by Belgium and the Czech Republic as well as tactical vehicles originally sent to Ukraine by U.S. and Poland in their May 22 cross-border raid on Russia's western region.
"Our defense ministry and its intelligence agencies have started an investigation and are asking for information to determine what has happened exactly," De Croo told Belgium's Radio 1, as cited by Reuters.
"European weapons are delivered to Ukraine under the condition that they are used on Ukrainian territory with the purpose of defending that territory. And we have strict controls in place to see that this is the case," he said.
Asami Terajima
On May 22, the Russian Volunteer Corps and another similar group — the Free Russia Legion — claimed they had crossed into Russia's Belgorod region and taken hold of border villages.
The New York Times also reported Russian militias having used American-made armored vehicles. The article claimed that the groups appear to have used International MaxxPros models of Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs), known to be provided to Ukraine only by Washington.
Mykhailo Podoliak, an advisor to the head of Ukraine's Presidential Office, said the Ukrainian leadership had "nothing to do" with the combat operation on May 22.
"As you know, tanks are sold at any Russian military store, and underground guerrilla groups are composed of Russian citizens," Podoliak tweeted.
Kyiv has not addressed the claims about Western-made weapons used in the attack yet.
Anastasiia Lapatina
(Updated: )
