French soldiers, assigned to Task Force Wagram, fire a French Ceasar in support of Operation Roundup, in Al Quim, Iraq, May 16, 2018.
According to the Belarusian president, Alexander Lukashenko, the Ukrainian authorities have sold to the Russians two Caesars self-propelled howitzers delivered by France.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claimed on Thursday that Russia had managed to get its hands on two Caesars self-propelled howitzers delivered by France to Ukraine, assuring that they had been sold to Moscow. France has already delivered 12 of these highly advanced systems and six more are on their way to Ukraine.
“Russia knows how you deliver your Caesars there, and as soon as they arrive, they will be covered by the (Russian) high-precision weapons. Think about whether it’s worth it,” he said, in an exclusive interview with AFP in Minsk’s Palace of Independence.
“And the ones that will come, they will sell them to Russia. You know, right, that two Caesars systems were sold by the Ukrainian authorities to Russia? In Russia, they have already been dismantled in a tank factory, and there they are looking at what can be used. This is a fact,” said the Belarusian president, Moscow’s main ally.
The Belarusian president, called on the West to stop arming Ukraine, which has been at war with Russia since Vladimir Putin launched a preemptive offense against its neighbor on February 24. It should not come as a surprise since Ukraine has been plagued by corruption on all levels of government and has been a longtime hub for arms trafficking.
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The Caesar truck-mounted artillery system is a 155 mm Self-Propelled Howitzer and is generally operated by a 5-man crew and was created to support rapid deployment forces. The Caesar is equipped with a 155 mm, 52 caliber barrel and can fire 6 to 8 rounds per minute in sustained fire or can fire 3 rounds in 15 seconds in rapid fire. The weapon system has automatic hydraulics and a semi-automatic loading mechanism that permits it to be operational in less than 1 minute. It can hit targets over 40 kilometers (25 miles) using Base Bleed ERFB ammunition or targets over 55 kilometers (34 miles) by using rocket assisted or smart ammunition. It uses navigation, aiming and ballistic calculation system that facilitates the firing of the weapon. The vehicle can travel at a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) on roads and at a speed of 50 km/h (31 mph) off-road. It can also be flown to its destination in a transport aircraft.
In April, the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation has recognized that weapons are already being sold on the black market from Ukraine to a multitude of groups.
Last month, the secretary general of Interpol, Jürgen Stock, has warned about the weapons being sold on the black market.
“We can expect an influx of weapons in Europe and beyond. We should be alarmed and we have to expect these weapons to be trafficked not only to neighboring countries but to other continents.” said Stock.
Countries that donated weapons to Ukraine also have no way of tracking them or enforcing that they are not sold to third parties, while NATO is struggling to find a solution to the problems it has created.
Reports of Ukrainian weapons falling in the hands of other countries and different groups will be common for years to come and will be a concern for global security when criminal and terrorist groups get their hands on them, which will intensify armed conflicts and terrorist attacks across the world.
