The SSU and the National Police have detained four suspects in connection with illegal arms trafficking
Following the operations carried out, law enforcement officers documented the activities of individuals who were attempting to organise the illicit sale of ‘captured’ weapons and ammunition in various regions of Ukraine.
Russian Kalashnikov assault rifles fitted with silencers, F-1, RGD-5 and RGO grenades, as well as nearly 2,500 rounds of ammunition of various calibres, were seized from those detained.
In Zhytomyr, a man was arrested who had set up a weapons cache in the garage of a private house and was looking for buyers. He was arrested whilst attempting to sell three grenades and three assault rifles, one of which was an AK-12 series.
In the Kyiv region, another suspect was exposed, a former member of a territorial defence unit. After his discharge, he organised the sale of weapons, dismantling them into components and sending them to customers by post. He disguised the parcels as household items and changed his SIM cards after completing the transactions.
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, a conscript was detained who had deserted his military unit and organised a channel for the illegal sale of weapons. According to the investigation, he had collected ‘captured’ weapons whilst serving on the southern front.
In the Vinnytsia region, a local restorer was placed under suspicion for restoring the combat capabilities of weapons and ammunition for subsequent sale. To this end, he set up a workshop on his own property.
The detainees have been informed of the charges against them under Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The issue of additional classification of their actions is currently being considered. The penalty under this article provides for up to seven years’ imprisonment.
The proceedings are being led by the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the Zhytomyr Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence in the Central Region, and the Kryvyi Rih Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for Defence in the Eastern Region.
