The SSU, the State Bureau of Investigation and the National Police have prevented new attempts to illegally sell weapons and ammunition in various regions of Ukraine.

As a result of comprehensive operations, seven illegal arms trafficking networks have been dismantled and the organisers of the schemes have been arrested.

The criminals were seized of over 1,000 kg of explosives, attack drones, grenade launchers, Kalashnikov assault rifles – including the latest russian model, the AK-12 – and an arsenal of combat grenades and ammunition of various calibres.

In Kyiv, a resident of Mykolaiv region was detained red-handed. He had arrived in the capital to sell a consignment of ‘trophy’ weapons that had been illegally removed from the combat zone on the eastern front.

He had been using a friend’s garage in Kramatorsk to store the weapons illegally.  

A criminal gang of arms sellers has been dismantled in Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. According to the investigation, the group consisted of three local residents who were selling weapons and ammunition that had been illegally smuggled out of frontline areas.

During searches of the detainees’ premises, hundreds of kilograms of explosives and IEDs, ready for sale, were seized.

In addition, the suspects were found of rocket-propelled flamethrowers, grenade launcher rounds, mines and ammunition for small arms.

In Donetsk region, the commander of an engineering and sapper company was arrested whilst attempting to sell two ‘decommissioned’ hexacopters, as well as machine guns and an AGS-17 'Plamya' grenade launcher recovered from the front lines.

During searches of a garage he had rented to store the weapons, explosive substances were also discovered.

In Vinnytsia region, a serviceman who had been listed as missing in action since February 2025 was exposed while attempting to organize an illegal trade in 'trophy' weapons.

Law enforcement officers discovered a concealed cache in which he had stored an AK-74 assault rifle, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, three anti-personnel mines, seven hand grenades, five TNT, and nearly 200 grams of plastic explosive.

Additionally, a repeat offender was caught red-handed in the region trying to sell weapons secretly smuggled from front-line areas in eastern Ukraine. He had previously served five prison terms for theft and robbery.

In Sumy region, officers exposed a resident of Okhtyrka district who sought to profit from the sale of weapons and munitions that had been illegally smuggled from the front line.

During searches of the suspect's premises, law enforcement officers seized, among other items, a PKP machine gun, more than two dozen live hand grenades, seven rocket-propelled grenade rounds, and an anti-personnel mine.

In Kherson, the SSU detained a local resident who attempted to illegally sell an AKS-74U assault rifle with a loaded magazine and additional 5.45 mm ammunition.

According to the investigation, the firearm and ammunition had been stolen during the temporary occupation of the regional capital with the intent of selling them on the black market.

The detainees have now been served with notices of suspicion for committing criminal offenses under multiple articles of the CCU:

•        263.1 (illegal handling of firearms, ammunition, or explosives);
•        28.2 and 263.1 (illegal handling of firearms, ammunition, or explosives committed by a group of persons acting in prior conspiracy);
•        410.4 (theft of military property committed under martial law).

The perpetrators face from 7 to 15 years in prison.

The operations were carried out under the procedural supervision of the Okhtyrka District Prosecutor’s Office, the Vinnytsia and Kherson Regional Prosecutor’s

Offices, the Kharkiv Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern Region, the Darnytsia Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for the Central Region and the Donetsk Specialised Prosecutor’s Office for the Eastern Region.