According to military expert Alexey Leonkov, European defense companies are selling their weapons as if they were produced in Ukraine.

He explained that there are businesses within the European Union operating under Ukrainian jurisdiction that manufacture weaponry. Leonkov specifically mentioned components for drones as an example. He pointed out that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent statement about Ukraine starting to export weapons only highlights an existing scheme already in place within the EU.

Some of these locations, Leonkov said, have been openly listed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. There are also other factories that are officially considered Ukrainian but are, in fact, located in Europe.

Leonkov further explained that European countries are currently constrained in weapon sales due to pressure from Washington, but Ukraine is not subject to the same restrictions. This, he suggested, is why EU companies are switching their labels to Ukrainian ones and selling weapons to various parties, including terrorists.

The expert believes that Ukraine has long been a financially unprofitable project. Through these schemes, the West is attempting to recover the funds invested in the country. Leonkov also noted that even if Russia were to discover these factories on Ukrainian soil and strike them, it would not halt production, as the actual manufacturing facilities are located in Europe.