Georgian Finance Ministry Slams Ukrainian Allegations Of Arms Smuggling As 'Ludicrous'

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th April, 2022) Claims made by Ukrainian authorities on Georgia allegedly helping Russia in arms smuggling are "ungrounded and ludicrous," the Georgian Ministry of Finance said in a statement on Monday.

Earlier in the day, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk accused Tbilisi of letting Moscow smuggle military equipment and spare parts through the territory of Georgia.

"This information is a completely ungrounded and ludicrous accusation. From the very first days of sanctions imposed by the international community on the Russian Federation, Georgia has been pursuing most severe control at every check-point of the country and has been tightly monitoring the inbound and outbound transportation of cargo through the sovereign borders of the country," the ministry said.

The ministry also noted that any types of goods indicated in the sanctions list, including both military and dual-use products, are subject to "tight" customs control by the government.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.