Inquiry Reveals South Africa Unaware of US-sanctioned Russian Ship Transporting Military Purchases

An inquiry into the incident that caused diplomatic tensions between South Africa and the U.S. has found that South African officials were unaware that a sanctioned Russian ship, Lady R, was assigned to deliver military equipment to the country until it was nearing national waters. The ship offloaded military equipment but no weapons were loaded onto it, and South African officials had no say in how the equipment ordered from the United Arab Emirates was shipped. The U.S. ambassador accused South Africa of loading weapons intended for Russia onto the ship, leading to calls for the ambassador's expulsion. The full report remains classified to protect military operations.