PUERTO VALLARTA (PVDN) - Without evidence, the Russian embassy in Mexico has raised concerns about arms trafficking from Ukraine to other parts of the world, specifically to cartels in Tamaulipas, Mexico, facilitated through corrupt Ukrainian officials.
The embassy's alert was specifically related to an AT4 anti-tank rocket launcher, presumably of Swedish-American manufacture. "These types of weapons are actively being shipped to Ukraine," the embassy announced in a tweet. The rocket launcher was seen being carried by a representative of a Mexican cartel in Tamaulipas, drawing international attention.
A video that circulated on social media platforms last weekend shows a young man, believed to be a member of a criminal group, dressed in a bulletproof vest adorned with the figure of a scorpion. The man, sporting a leg brace, can be seen armed with an AK47 machine gun and an AT4 rocket launcher. The video captures him heading towards parked vehicles on a dirt road, seemingly near the Tamaulipas border.
"As long as the West continues to mindlessly supply weapons to the Kiev regime and make a lot of money from this business, we will probably see the consequences of these actions already in Mexico," warned the Russian embassy.
It should be remembered that cartels in Mexico have long used rocket launchers to down helicopters from the army and federal authorities during military operations against criminal organizations.
Russia, currently engaged in a conflict with Ukraine, accuses the country of facilitating weapon trafficking to countries like Mexico through corrupt officials. The embassy's statement further explained that it is widely known that such corrupt officials are channeling Western-supplied weapons to the global black market. This in turn undermines security in various regions worldwide.
The embassy expressed concern that the West is oblivious or unwilling to accept the associated risks. "The West does not realize and does not want to accept these risks," it said.
Just last month, a video went viral of a Russian soldier hitting himself in the face with an AT4 rocket launcher, showing evidence that Russia is also in possession of the weapons the Russian Embassy accuses Ukraine of possessing. Russia would have more value in arming Mexican cartels to destabilize the West. Ukraine would have everything to lose.
And as Vice pointed out in March, AT4-style rocket launchers are also being built by 3D printers, thanks to a guy in Texas.
Lastly, the same weapon is also used by Mexico's army, which has well-established ties with cartels, so it wouldn't be difficult for the cartels to be armed with Mexico's military weapons.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, on May 30, reported that the United States government shares concerns over the flow of long arms, with Mexico having seized up to 26,000 in 2022 alone. Ebrard noted that "we are on a similar guideline" after a bilateral meeting between President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, Security Advisor at the White House.
"We would like this to be achieved and today they made some comments to us," Ebrard added, highlighting the shared interest in combating the issue between Mexico and the United States.
Mexico's special relationship with Russia
Mexico and Russia share a unique relationship, marked by support from Mexico's President, who has notably declined to participate in sanctions against Russia and has instead expanded trade. Following Russia's incursion into Ukraine, the President's party established a 'Friends of Russia' commission in the Senate. Mexico's leader has frequently made light of his Ukrainian counterpart, even deriding the nomination of the Ukrainian President for a Nobel Peace Prize, asserting that a country partly responsible for ongoing warfare cannot be lauded for peace. Mexico proposed a five-year pause in the conflict, an initiative Ukraine interpreted as an attempt to provide Russia with an opportunity to regroup, rearm, and strategize for future military actions.
