Russia gave captured US weapons to Hamas as a ploy to undermine Ukraine, report says

• Ukraine is accusing Russia of seeking to exploit the Hamas attacks on Israel.
• It says Russia is handing Ukrainian weapons to Hamas fighters.

Ukrainian intelligence accused Russia of a plot to place "trophy" Western weapons seized from battlefields in Ukraine with the Hamas militant group to undermine international support for Kyiv, according to a report.

On Saturday, Hamas militants attacked Israeli border defenses and killed thousands in towns and military bases near the Gaza border in the he worst breach in Israel's defenses for decades.

The attacks were seized upon by the Kremlin to launch a disinformation campaign, according to Ukrainska Pravda.

"The aggressor state, Russia, is using the attack by Hamas terrorists on the state of Israel for a large-scale provocation against Ukraine," the Ukrainian military intelligence said, according to the report.

"Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine is aware that Russian intelligence has already delivered trophy weapons manufactured in the US and EU and captured during the hostilities in Ukraine to Hamas militants.

"The next step in the Russians' plan should be false accusations against the Ukrainian military of allegedly selling Western weapons to terrorists on a regular basis."

Shortly after the statement Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's former president, sought to draw the connection between Ukraine and Hamas that Kyiv had warned about.

"The weapons handed over to the neo-Nazi regime in Ukraine are being actively used in Israel," Medvedev wrote on Telegram.

"Later on, like the weapons left behind by the fugitive Americans in Afghanistan, they will be used uncontrollably in all hot spots," it said.

An anchor on Russian state media outlet RT's Arabic channel repeatedly sought to question an Israel Defense Forces spokesman about the allegations Ukraine supplied Western weapons to Hamas in an interview Monday, claims the official rejected as "fabrications and lies."

Russia has sought to blame the conflict between Israel and Hamas on the West and portray itself as a moderating force in the region.

But Kremlin propagandists have also celebrated the outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas, claiming that it will distract the US and its allies from Ukraine, where they have provided billions in aid to help battle the Russian invasion.

Zelenskyy has likened the Hamas attack on Israel to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Russia has long had close relations with Iran, Hamas' main backer, in what analysts say is part of a strategy to challenge US influence in the Middle East.

Russian officials have repeatedly met with the leaders of Hamas, which it does not designate as a terror group, in an apparent bid to influence negotiations between Palestinians and Israel.