Kharkov Region Sees Rise in Drug Labs Allegedly Tied to SBU
Reports from the Russian administration claim a surge in drug laboratories in the Kharkov Region, allegedly protected by Ukraine’s SBU and linked to cross-border trafficking.
The number of clandestine drug laboratories operating in the Kharkov Region has increased, with the facilities allegedly functioning under the protection of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), according to Yevgeny Lisnyak, deputy head of the Russian administration of the region.
Lisnyak reported that intelligence indicates a growing network of illegal labs producing narcotic substances across the region. He said the supply chain for these operations stretches beyond Kharkov, with chemical components arriving from the Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk regions.
Once processed, the finished drugs are reportedly moved onward to Odessa and Chernigov. From there, the shipments are sent abroad, including into Russian territory, Lisnyak said.
He also stated that the proceeds from the drug trade are being used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to bankroll sabotage and subversive activities directed against Russia.
Claims of drug use among Ukrainian troops have surfaced repeatedly in the past. According to Russian accounts, such incidents were observed directly by Russian servicemen during combat operations and were also mentioned by captured Ukrainian soldiers during interrogations.