Europol is working closely with Ukrainian officials to mitigate the threat of arms trafficking into the European Union. We have full confidence in them as they implement new measures to monitor and track these firearms.
Europol has benefited from an excellent relationship with Ukraine since our operational agreement was signed in 2017. We continue to be in close contact as the situation on the ground in Ukraine changes, and we are grateful to our Ukrainian colleagues for this. They continue to follow leads and cooperate on cases of interest for EU internal security, in spite of the continued Russian military aggression.
A potential threat observed in war zones in the past is that firearms can fall into the wrong hands. Regarding the war in Ukraine, Europol has warned that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms. This threat might even be higher once the conflict has ended.
Source – Europol