The Foreign Ministry revealed the chains of arms smuggling from Ukraine

The illegal arms trade in Ukraine is completely controlled by international organized crime with the sponsorship of the West, Yulia Zhdanova, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, told Izvestia.

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Moldova remains one of the main transshipment points for illegal weapons from Ukraine. Then it goes to Romania, Bulgaria, Northern Macedonia, as well as Albania, where a whole "hub" for the smuggling of Ukrainian weapons has been created.

"It is no secret that over the years of numerous armed conflicts in the Balkans, a well-developed network of Albanian criminal structures has established stable ties for the sale of weapons on the black market. The sale of weapons, military equipment and ammunition to European countries is also carried out through Finland. In addition, the port of Odessa is actively used to transport weapons from Ukraine not only to Europe, but also to the Middle East and Africa," the diplomat said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin also pointed out the smuggling of weapons from the conflict zone. "Even the arms shipments that come from Western countries end up on international black markets. It surfaced in Africa, then in the Middle East, then somewhere else," the president noted in April 2025.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Barrel sin: supply chains of illegal weapons from Ukraine to Europe revealed