Mexican cartels. distribution of drugs. Ukraine news. rt russia news

Pro-russian media spread a fake with the Fox News logo that during the war due to “corruption and uncontrollability” Ukraine became a hub for the distribution of Mexican drugs across Europe. The propagandists used political scientist Alexander Wendt and attributed to him a comment that President of Ukraine Zelenskyy has a personal benefit from this.

This “news” is completely fictional. Neither Fox News nor any other authoritative Western source published information that Ukraine became a hub of supply for Mexican drugs. 
This disinformation states that drugs are spread from Ukraine to Western Europe, including Spain and Germany. But in fact, historically because of these countries, illegal cargoes mainly enter the European market: Spain – through traditionally close ties with Latin America, and in Germany – due to the presence of large ports, like Hamburg. Also, major hubs for drug trafficking in Europe are the Netherlands and Belgium, and recently Mexican cartels also established ties with Italy, including the southern regions of the country. 
According to Europol’s 2026 report, drug dealers have actually chosen small and less obvious ports to withdraw suspicions from their cargoes, but it is mainly about Azores (Portugal) and Canary Islands (Spain). Ukraine is not mentioned once in the report: https://www.europol.europa.eu/cms/sites/default/files/documents/Diversification_in_maritime_cocaine_trafficking_modi_operandi.pdf
Alexander Wendt’s quote is also fictional. Wendt as a scientist mostly works in theoretical field, developing and popularizing the theory of social constructivism in the field of international relations. Wendt did not speak about Ukraine or other current political topics.
Fake: Ukraine equips Mexican cartels with combat drones.
russian propagandists spread fake with a drones of Ukrainian production, seized allegedly from drug cartels in Mexico by local police. The signatures claim that Ukrainian weapons entered the black market of Latin America, and now criminal groups use combat technologies tested in Europe. The Policía México logo in the corner of the photo is presented as confirmation of the authenticity of the image. 
The fabricated image is used to reinforce a wider narrative that Western military assistance to Ukraine allegedly leaks into global black markets and falls into the hands of criminal organizations – a statement for which there is no reliable evidence. 
StopFake found that the original photo was turned horizontally to complicate the search for a back image. A digital photo signature was also changed to hide identification details, including removing visible grass in the background. But key markers – the configuration of the drone components and handwritten numbering on the fuselage – coincide with the Ukrainian drone Vampire. 
It is also worth noting that, according to Mexican security analysts, drug cartels began to use drones back in 2020, that is, long before russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine: https://animalpolitico.com/analisis/invitades/drones-tendencia-arsenal-crimen-organizado. In addition, no reliable media reported the capture of the Ukrainian drone in Mexico.
The only weak connection to be found in open sources is doubtful notice that a small number of people affiliated with the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación cartel may have joined the International Legion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to gain experience of combat operations with drones. However, they were exposed at an early stage due to the interaction of Ukrainian and Mexican special services. So, there is no confirmation of Ukrainian drones supplies to Mexican cartels.
Based on materials from Stopfake.org, EuVsDisinfo.eu
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