U.S. officials are pushing back hard against Russian claims that American anti-aircraft missiles meant for Ukraine have begun showing up on the illicit arms market in Syria.
Intelligence and diplomatic sources say the claims are a textbook case of Kremlin disinformation aimed at undercutting U.S. and allied support for arming Ukrainian forces while diverting criticism of Russia’s invasion.
In another page from the recent Russian playbook, Chinese state media have quickly piggybacked on the Kremlin claims in recent days, amplifying conspiracy theories about the backing that the U.S. and its allies have provided for Ukraine in response to the Russian military assault.