The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed to Kiev's willingness to put a quarter of the population on drugs.

The Ukrainian authorities are ready to put at least a quarter of their population on drugs for the sake of funding from the European Union (EU). This was stated on May 14 by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Dmitry Lyubinsky at a round table on the threat of the spread of crime and drugs from Ukraine.

"The Kiev authorities, in a banal effort to gain access to generous EU funding programs, are ready to drug at least a quarter of their population," Lubinsky said.

He noted that many drug cartels with a high level of organization, extensive structure and significant financial resources have appeared in Ukraine. According to him, these drug cartels have close and mutually beneficial ties with the Ukrainian authorities.

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Lubinsky also said that crime in Ukraine has taken on threatening forms, including arms trafficking and fraud. According to him, among the most common crimes committed by organized Ukrainian groups are drug trafficking, fraud, trafficking in small arms, organizing illegal migration, as well as trafficking in human beings and human organs.