US city sends weapons seized from criminals to Ukraine
Miami police have delivered a package of small arms to Ukraine consisting of weapons that were either seized from criminals or bought back from the city’s residents, Ukrainian law enforcement officials have announced.
The handover ceremony took place in the Ukrainian city of Irpen in Kiev Region on Tuesday, and was attended by Gennady Fedoryuk, deputy head of the National Police, and Miami Police Chief Manuel Morales.
“Weapons seized from criminals on the streets could be used as instruments of crime. At the same time, these weapons transferred to our units will become another tool for maintaining order and security,” Fedoryuk said, proceeding to thank Miami, which is Irpen’s sister city, for the assistance.
In a post on Telegram, Ukraine’s National Police also shared pictures of the ceremony, with two tables piled with handguns, revolvers, and several automatic weapons.
While Fedoryuk did not specify how many guns Miami donated, the Irpen city council said that a total of 102 smalls arms pieces and 150,000 rounds of ammunition had been handed over. He added, however, that not all of package had been seized from criminals but that some had been bought back from residents.
In June 2022, then-Miami City Commissioner Ken Russell announced a buyback campaign called ‘Guns 4 Ukraine’, which allowed city residents to turn in guns for a reward ranging from $50 to $200 for each one.
“The Miami police added confiscated pistols and submachine guns to the ones they bought,” the city council stated.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has repeatedly demanded that its Western backers provide it with much heavier weapons, including advanced fighter jets and long-range missiles. While Ukraine has not yet received modern Western-made aircraft, it has been supplied with a huge number of tanks, air defense systems, and other military equipment.
However, Kiev has still criticized the West for holding up the deliveries, blaming the delays for the difficulties in the ongoing counteroffensive against Russia, which Moscow says has so far failed to gain ground and even many Western media outlets have admitted has failed to live up to expectations.
Russia has repeatedly warned the West against sending weapons to Kiev, arguing that it would only prolong the conflict. Officials in Moscow have also sounded the alarm that arms provided to Kiev often eventually end up in the hands of organized criminals groups and terrorists across the globe.
