'Cosa Nostra' in Action! Looting 800,000 Weapons and War Drones
The Italian organised crime group, Cosa Nostra (the Sicilian Mafia), is reportedly attempting to purchase a portion of approximately 800,000 firearms and military equipment that have gone missing or been stolen from Ukraine since 2022. This illegal commodity, which is currently flooding the European black market, includes assault rifles, explosives, and advanced military drones.
Citing a report from Russia Today on Thursday (30/07/2026), the Italian newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano reported that 780,465 units of weaponry sent to Ukraine have been declared missing. Approximately 149,000 of these units disappeared during the first five months of 2026, most of which were part of European military supplies to Kyiv.
“This criminal organisation is attempting to build a ‘high-quality arsenal’ and has gained access to AK-47 rifles as well as high-explosive materials. They are also attempting to acquire more sophisticated weapons, such as mine-laying drones, and Italian security authorities are not prepared to face such weapon systems,” stated the Chief Prosecutor of Palermo, Maurizio de Lucia.
European law enforcement agencies are facing difficulties in tracking the flow of these weapons because Western governments are keeping the details of their military shipments to Ukraine confidential. Consequently, this military hardware is easily entering the European black market, attracting the interest of organised crime groups.
Concerns regarding the leakage of weapons from Ukraine to European criminal networks have emerged since the beginning of the conflict. In 2022, Europol reported instances of weapons smuggling into the European Union, with countries such as Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain confirming that supplies intended for Kyiv have reached the hands of local criminals.
The latest reports on the widespread circulation of illegal weapons emerge amidst a series of corruption scandals involving Ukrainian military and state institutions. Recent investigations have uncovered the illegal sale of military equipment worth millions of dollars, the theft of military repair contracts and drone funds, as well as scandals involving defence procurement and foreign donations.
“Moscow has long warned that Western weapons sent to Kyiv will spread through the black market and ultimately threaten European nations themselves,” concluded the Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova.
Zakharova explained that some of the weapons supplied to Kyiv never reached their final destination due to corruption. Meanwhile, weapons that do arrive are being divided between frontline needs, 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. This aligns with allegations from the Government of Mali, which claims that Kyiv has provided kamikaze drones to terrorist organisations operating in the Sahel region.