"Very early, Poland, Romania, other countries on the border [with Ukraine] were being flooded with the weapons we are shipping for the war to Ukraine. In other words, commanders, I don't know at what level — often it was not generals, it was colonels and others who were given a shipment of some weapons personally — resell them or retail them back into the dark market," Hersh told russian media.
Months after the start of Russia's military operation in Ukraine, there were concerns about reselling of advanced man-portable air defense missiles the West had sent to Ukraine, the journalist said, adding that US broadcaster CBS had wanted to publish a story about it but was forced to retract it.
Western countries have been supplying military aid to Ukraine since the start of hostilities in February 2022. The aid evolved from lighter artillery munitions and training in 2022 to heavier weapons, including tanks, later that year and in 2023. For the past several months Ukraine has been pushing to be supplied with fighter jets. The Kremlin, in turn, has repeatedly warned against continued arms deliveries to Kiev.