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IN BRIEF: MFA on turning Ukraine into 'criminal empire' and growing potential for conflict

TASS · 🇺🇦 public Ukraine · · 552 words
Ukrainian state criminality Western destabilization of global security Counter-terrorism in CIS regions
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What to know about Ukrainian state criminality

Pyotr Ilyichev of the Russian Foreign Ministry claims that Western policies have transformed Ukraine into a 'criminal empire' and are fueling global instability. He alleges that Ukraine is supplying weapons to terrorist groups in Africa and that the West is using extremists to maintain regional tensions.

Propaganda risk 80%
Claims checked 7
Techniques found 5
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

6 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The West has turned Ukraine into "a criminal empire," marking the height of its policy aimed at preserving hotspots of tension, Pyotr Ilyichev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department for New Challenges and Threats, said at the 19th meeting of…

Why it matters

The diplomat also noted that the conflict potential is growing worldwide amid the West’s dangerous attempts to use terrorist groups and extremist forces to keep afloat hotbeds of tensions.

Common ground

TASS has summed up the diplomat’s key statements.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language, Name Calling / Labeling, Appeal to Fear: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Pyotr Ilyichev of the Russian Foreign Ministry claims that Western policies have transformed Ukraine into a 'criminal empire' and are fueling global instability. He alleges that Ukraine is supplying weapons to terrorist groups in Africa and that the West is using extremists to maintain regional tensions.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://tass.com/politics/2144555

analyticsAnalysis

80%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
High risk. Heavy use of propaganda and manipulative rhetoric.

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 5 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 90% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Name Calling / Labeling 100% confidence
Attaching a negative label to a person or group to reject them without evidence.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing name calling / labeling helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Appeal to Fear 85% confidence
Building support by instilling anxiety or panic in the audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing appeal to fear helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Hasty Generalization 70% confidence
Drawing broad conclusions from a small or unrepresentative sample.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing hasty generalization helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.
warning
Scapegoating 80% confidence
Blaming a person or group for problems they did not cause.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing scapegoating helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 4
info Single Source 2
check_circle Corroborated 1
info
Claim 1: “The Kiev regime supports terrorist groups in Africa and supplies them with weapons the Ukrainian army receives from the West”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim is mentioned in a search result from 'Disinfo', but this is a single source. Other search results discuss extremism in the Sahel generally but do not corroborate the specific claim that the Kiev regime is supplying Western weapons to these groups.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 28, 2025 ... ... terrorists and criminal groups in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. The high level of corruption in the Ukrainian government and ...
https://euvsdisinfo.eu/report/weapons-sent-to-ukraine-end-up…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... from northern Mali following jihadist and Tuareg attacks in 2026 has left governments exposed to an insurgency pushing southward into coastal West Africa.
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/violent…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — In 2014, and for a period after, the Azov Regiment served as a desired pro-Ukrainian military unit-of-choice that some local and foreign extremists, including ...
https://ctc.westpoint.edu/external-impacts-and-the-extremism…
verified
Claim 2: “The number of Ukrainian telephone scammers targeting Russian citizens is 'estimated at around 100,000.'”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of dictionary definitions for the word 'approximately' and general Wikipedia entries about the invasion of Ukraine. There is no evidence in the provided results regarding the number of telephone scammers targeting Russian citizens.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, during the Russo-Ukrainian war, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting the current phase of the war, the largest conflict in Europe since World War II. By Apri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_Russian_invasion_of_Ukrai…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 3: “Among the most common crimes committed by Ukrainian organized groups are illegal drug trafficking, which accounts of up to 45% of all crimes”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of general information about organized crime in Central America, Asia, and Mexico, or general Wikipedia entries about the Russo-Ukrainian war. None of the provided sources mention the specific statistic that drug trafficking accounts for 45% of crimes by Ukrainian organized groups.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Chernobyl, also known as Chornobyl, is a partially abandoned city in Vyshhorod Raion, Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. It is located within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, 90 kilometres (60 mi) to the north of Kyi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chernobyl
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Russo-Ukrainian war began in February 2014 and is ongoing. Following Ukraine's Revolution of Dignity, Russia occupied Crimea and annexed it from Ukraine. It then supported Russian separatist armed…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the existing war between the two countries that began when Ru…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russo-Ukrainian_war_(2022–pres…
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 4: “the 'Support Group for Islam and Muslims' [linked to the terrorist organization 'Al-Qaeda', banned in Russia - TASS] in Mali... is now a matter of establishing a fuel blockade of the Malian capital, Bamako.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent web search results confirm that extremists in Mali (specifically the Support Group for Islam and Muslims/JNIM) have called for a united front and initiated a fuel/road blockade of the capital, Bamako, to weaken the military junta.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Islam is the second-largest religion in Europe after Christianity. Although the majority of Muslim communities in Western Europe formed as a result of recent post-WW2 immigration, there are centuries-…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_Europe
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The term 'Islamic extremism' is contentious, encompassing a spectrum of definitions, ranging from academic interpretations of Islamic supremacy to the notion that all ideologies other than Islam have …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_extremism
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM; Arabic: جماعة نصرة الإسلام والمسلمين; French: Groupe de soutien à l'islam et aux musulmans, GSIM; lit. 'Support Group for Islam and Muslims') is a united fr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jama'at_Nusrat_al-Islam_wal-Mu…
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 5: “Their presence [Western weapons and ammunition supplied to the Ukrainian military] has already been detected in Burkina Faso, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mali, Nigeria, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, the Central African Republic, and Chad.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided discusses the presence of the Russian Wagner Group and Africa Corps in those countries, and general conflict geography, but there is no evidence provided that confirms the detection of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine in those specific African nations.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Beginning in 2022, France began to withdraw military troops from several West African nations following decades of military presence and interventions. Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad all unilater…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_military_withdrawal_fro…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This article lists current and former operators of the Ilyushin Il-76 and its variants, the Ilyushin Il-78, Beriev A-50, Beriev A-60, Beriev A-100 and Shaanxi KJ-2000.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ilyushin_Il-76_operato…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of protests in the 21st century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_protests_in_the_21st_c…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 6: “The West has turned Ukraine into 'a criminal empire'”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that the West turned Ukraine into a 'criminal empire' appears to be a specific allegation made by Russian security officials in a CIS briefing. While one web search result mentions this claim, it is presented as an assertion by a specific political entity rather than a verified fact corroborated by independent international sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ... has existed throughout history, and is not limited to non-Western countries. ... Ukraine's Criminal Ecosystem and the War: Ukrainian Organized Crime in 2022 ...
https://www.jstor.org/content/oa_book_edited/10.7829/jj.3985…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jan 1, 2006 ... As a response, in 1998, the government amended the country's criminal code to improve prevention of human trafficking. Further legislative ...
https://www.migrationpolicy.org/journal/country-profile/caug…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Jun 9, 2026 ... ... Ukraine, claiming it has been transformed into a “criminal empire” under Western policies. In a CIS anti-terror briefing, officials warned ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBZZLTFFPj8
verified
Claim 7: “Around 20 terrorist groups numbering more than 20,000 people continue operating in Afghanistan.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided consists of dictionary definitions for the word 'there' and general Wikipedia entries about Afghanistan. There is no data provided regarding the number of terrorist groups or the number of people (20,000) operating in Afghanistan.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the east and south, Iran to the w…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Afghanistan Premier League (Pashto: د افغانستان غوره لیګ; Urdu: لیگ برتر افغانيرت), officially Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League for sponsorship reasons, was a Twenty20 cricket franchise tourna…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan_Premier_League
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Afghanistan national under-20 football team is controlled by the Afghanistan Football Federation and represents Afghanistan in international football competitions at this age.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan_national_under-20_…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.