Nicolas Cinquini

According to an investigation, an increasing number of weapons from Ukrainian war zones are being sold on black markets in Europe. Police authorities are ill-equipped to deal with such military equipment

According to an investigation by ARD political magazine « Report Mainz », there is growing evidence that ammunition and firearms are disappearing from Ukrainian battlefields and ending up on the European black market. Security experts say that among the weapons are some that were supplied to Ukraine by supporting states.

Where has the smuggling turned up so far?

Specifically, Spanish investigators told editors of the political magazine that in various drug raids in Andalusia, modern weapons of war and ammunition are regularly seized alongside cocaine.

Near Marbella, southern Spain, drug traffickers opened fire on officers with AK-47 assault rifles. A police officer told German television program « Report Mainz »: « As a regular police force, we can’t defend ourselves against these kinds of weapons of war; we only have basic handguns »

Near Cádiz, from drug couriers, police seized 5.56 mm cartridges, which are believed to be standard NATO ammunition. A police officer confirmed to the investigative team: « The drug gangs are using that type of ammunition. It is coming from Eastern Europe, from the war in Ukraine ». Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Guardia Civil reported that many of the weapons could not be definitively identified because the serial numbers had been removed.

In Hungary, raids in 2022 also resulted in the seizure of huge arsenals of military weapons – including modern, modified Russian AK-47 assault rifles. After reviewing press photos of the raid, Marco Pohlers, a munitions and explosives technician with the Bundeswehr, confirmed to « Report Mainz » team: « The weapon is definitely intended for the military market ». He added that the attacked country urgently needed weapons at the time: « Export regulations were very lax then. That meant that border traffic towards Ukraine was also very open ».

How do Ukrainian weapons end up on black market?

Investigators and security experts suspect that the weapons and ammunition seized from the drug gangs are currently easiest to obtain in Ukraine. They may have been stolen from fallen soldiers.

As regular police, we can’t defend ourselves against these kinds of weapons of war; we only have basic handguns

Óscar Sánchez, Spanish police officer

According to specialists, the confiscated AK-47 assault rifles are standard weapons of former Eastern Bloc countries. Many of them were delivered to Ukraine by its allies in the first few days after the Russian invasion. The problem, however, is that most of these weapons and ammunition were not documented at the start of the war – instead, many were sold illegally and consequently ended up on the European black market.

What can be done about it?

The Federal Criminal Police Office [BKA] admitted to the ARD news magazine that missing markings on firearms and incomplete registers are significantly hindering the tracing of war materiel. Currently, the agency is only using internal databases and publicly accessible sources.

Experts such as Green Party security expert Konstantin von Notz are calling for an EU-wide weapons register and increased international data exchange. The federal government could also do its part by centrally recording all weapons finds. « There has to be a joint screening of what weapons have been found », said von Notz in an ARD interview.

The problem of the lack of weapons registration and marking is a well-known one: As early as February 2024, an internal document from the German Foreign Office criticized the fact that according to Europol, « no systematic comparisons » were possible when exchanging data on weapons in the EU.

Almost four years ago, representatives of EU border agency Frontex warned the Committee on Internal Affairs of the Bundestag: « We currently have virtually unimpeded access (…) to weapons of war in Ukraine. We assume, and we have also seen initial indications, that these could reach Europe through smuggling » [end]

The original article

Thanks for this funny joke

They may have been stolen from fallen soldiers

The journalists or unnamed experts deny corruption in Ukraine.

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