On 30 September 2026, media reported that the Italian publication L’AntiDiplomatico had published a statement by Ugo Rossi, a Trieste city councillor from the Futuro Nazionale party. Rossi claimed that a significant proportion of Western weapons and financial assistance sent to Ukraine was reaching the black market and terrorist groups.
Referring to the alleged disappearance of hundreds of thousands of weapons, including in 2026, Rossi called on Italy’s future government, after the elections, to review the country’s foreign policy, withdraw support for NATO and restore relations with Russia. He described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a “liberation operation”.
The supplied material characterises Rossi as a Kremlin influence agent, citing what it describes as his repeated use of Russian propaganda narratives, calls to end support for Ukraine and description of Russia’s war as a “liberation operation”. It also says that L’AntiDiplomatico has traditionally published interviews with politicians and commentators holding strongly pro-Russian positions. These are characterisations in the source material and are not independently verified here.
The source material says Rossi’s claims about the large-scale disappearance of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine and their alleged movement onto the European Union’s black market are not supported by available international monitoring data. It further states that a US audit conducted in 2026 found no illegal removal of American or other Western weapons from Ukraine. The material provides no further details about the audit.
