Belgian Prime Minister Alexandre De Croo has confirmed that he has ordered an investigation into the use of Belgian-made weapons handed over to Ukraine by participants in the raid in the russian Belgorod region.
“Our defence ministry and its intelligence agencies have launched an investigation and are asking for information to find out exactly what happened. European weapons are being supplied to Ukraine on the condition that they will be used on Ukrainian territory to defend that territory. And we have strict controls to make sure that this is the case,” the Belgian prime minister said on Radio 1.
Earlier, the Washington Post reported that Russians from the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Russian Freedom Legion fighting on the side of Ukraine, who had invaded the territory of the Belgorod region, were using Western weaponry.
Namely, four MRAP tactical vehicles provided to Ukraine by the US and Poland, the Washington Post wrote, citing US officials.
“The use of NATO weapons to attack Russia raises doubts about Kyiv’s control over these weapons,” the publication writes.
According to photos verified by The Washington Post, the fighters were also carrying rifles made in Belgium and the Czech Republic – and at least one AT-4 anti-tank weapon widely used by US and Western forces.
We are talking about the CZ Bren rifle made in the Czech Republic and the Belgian FN SCAR.
“The recent raid in Russia shows how the equipment can change hands in unpredictable ways, creating control problems that few in Washington and Kyiv seem willing to acknowledge,” the article says.
Ilya Ponomarev, coordinator of the Russian Freedom Legion, claimed that the Western equipment had been repossessed by Russian volunteers, but “Ponomarev did not provide any evidence to support his claim.”
As for the Belgian and Czech weapons, supplies of similar samples to the Ukrainian army have taken place. According to two US volunteers serving in Ukraine, Bren and SCAR rifles are routinely distributed to Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers from abroad.
