The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), together with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the National Police, has dismantled seven more illegal arms and ammunition trafficking networks operating across different regions of Ukraine.
The coordinated operations resulted in the detention of individuals suspected of organising the illegal sale of weapons and ammunition, including those smuggled out of frontline areas and combat zones.
Among the items seized were modern Russian AK-12 assault rifles, grenade launchers, improvised explosive devices, explosives and ammunition of various calibres.
In Kyiv, SSU and SBI officers uncovered a scheme involving two individuals suspected of stealing components for military equipment. The stolen items included night-vision devices, optical sights, dosimeters and engines. Investigators established that the suspects operated under the coordination of a foreign client, a sanctioned arms dealer originally from an Eastern European country. The individual is allegedly involved in covert weapons shipments from North Korea to Russia.
According to investigators, acting on the instructions of the arms dealer, the two accomplices forged technical documentation for the stolen equipment and sold it as new products. To find customers, the suspects exploited personal contacts at military equipment repair facilities and other defence-related sites without those contacts being aware of the illegal scheme.
During searches, officers seized more than 100 equipment components, which have since been transferred to one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' mechanised brigades.
In the Bukovyna region, SSU counterintelligence officers uncovered two illegal dealers in weapons and explosives. One of them was an unemployed local resident who had set up a workshop in the basement of his home to convert starter pistols into functional firearms.
In Chernivtsi, the deputy commander of a self-propelled artillery battalion of the Ukrainian Armed Forces was notified of suspicion for allegedly transporting weapons and explosives from the combat zone to western Ukraine disguised as parcels. The serviceman used acquaintances who worked as bus drivers to transport the shipments without informing them of their contents. Through this scheme, the suspect allegedly attempted to remove and sell 390 kilograms of explosives from the frontline, including more than 40 kilograms of plastic explosives, as well as detonators.
In the Cherkasy region, investigators exposed a village council deputy who had established two weapons caches, one in his garage and another in the basement of an educational institution. Searches uncovered two kilograms of TNT, almost 1,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, a handheld anti-tank grenade launcher, a mine, two assault rifles and a quantity of combat grenades.
In Vinnytsia, officers detained a contract serviceman suspected of attempting to profit from selling captured Russian weapons. SSU officers caught him in the act as he attempted to sell two Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles, an AK-12 and an AK-74.
In Odessa, a local repeat offender who had previously served a prison sentence for theft was detained while attempting to sell improvised explosive devices. In addition to the explosive devices, the suspect allegedly intended to sell electric detonators and explosive powder charges. He used contacts from his criminal past to find potential buyers.
In Dnipro, officers detained a Kyiv resident who allegedly attempted to sell six Kalashnikov assault rifles of various models and almost 3,500 rounds of ammunition.
Investigators established that the suspect had set up a weapons cache in a rented house in the Kyiv region, from which he transported orders to the frontline city.
The detainees have been notified of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which concerns the illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives. Those found guilty face up to seven years in prison.
