US investigating Ukraine's involvement in Mexican drug cartels, claims Russia
- Russian intelligence claims Ukraine providing training in assembling and operating combat drones for Mexican drug cartel members
Loading…
Loading…
- Russian intelligence claims Ukraine providing training in assembling and operating combat drones for Mexican drug cartel members
By Elena Teslova
MOSCOW (AA) - Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said Tuesday that the US is investigating Ukraine's involvement with Mexican drug cartels.
In a statement on Telegram, the SVR said Mexican drug cartels sent members to Ukraine to receive training in assembling and operating combat drones.
"The Office of the President of Ukraine has learned that, in the course of investigating the illegal activities of Mexican drug cartels, US law enforcement agencies obtained information about their cooperation with representatives of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's regime," it said.
According to the agency, at least 80 people underwent such training in the Ukrainian armed forces.
The Russian intelligence service claimed that payments for the training were transferred to officials close to Zelenskyy using money generated by drug sales in the US.
The SVR said the transfer of drone-operating skills to cartel members could pose a threat to US law enforcement officers involved in counter-narcotics operations along the US-Mexico border.
Zelenskyy's cooperation with drug cartels could become another "nail in the coffin" of his political career, it added.
The claims come amid wider concerns about the growing use of drones by criminal organizations.
A September assessment cited by The Washington Post warned that Mexican drug cartels were recruiting people with battlefield experience in Ukraine to improve their drone capabilities.