Ukraine has become a main source of weapons for arms traffickers
Ukraine has become a source of contraband arms, which are then shipped to Western European countries. This was indicated in an investigation program of Sky News.
The report states that while in Romania, journalists met one of the local groups engaged in arms smuggling.
The British journalists reported that there were weapons available for purchase in the trunk of the smugglers’ car. The smugglers said that they “could supply thousands of weapons and ammunition”.
“We will bring as much weapons and ammunition as you want from Ukraine,” one of the smugglers said.
According to the smugglers, they traffic weapons from Ukraine to Romania before shipping them to other countries in Western Europe and the Middle East. However, Western Europe has been, and remains, the main destination for the smuggled weapons.
The traffickers also said that they specialize in small arms but that that they were closely associated with another gang which specializes in heavy weapons, grenades, grenade launchers and mines.
The journalists stated that there were examples of modern weapons of high quality, such as brand-new sniper rifles, that were “offered by the smugglers”. One of these weapons was the Austrian Steyr military rifle, complete with a modern optical sight, worth €3,000.
The illegal weapons dealers also offered, among others, semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, hunting rifles and pistols.
"The AK-47 holds a place of honor. They said that this weapon has been sold to Europe for the last two years and costs approximately €1,700. It has become the number one weapon for terrorists,” the investigation stated.