Ukrainian commanders are allegedly writing off weapons supplied by NATO countries as lost, only for those arms to resurface on the black market, according to Russian law enforcement officials cited by RIA Novosti.

The agency’s source, speaking from within Russian security structures, said the claims are based on testimony from captured Ukrainian servicemen. According to these accounts, unit commanders first formally remove Western-supplied small arms from inventory records and then sell them illegally. The same practice, the source added, allegedly extends to firearms that had belonged to Ukrainian soldiers killed in action.

Beyond individual cases, the interlocutor pointed to what he described as a broader issue: the illicit circulation of foreign weapons and ammunition delivered to Kiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously asserted that Ukraine is reselling military equipment to the Middle East, from where it is later redistributed to other regions. Reports suggesting that part of the military aid sent to Kiev has ended up on the black market have also appeared repeatedly in foreign media. European officials, as noted in earlier coverage, have acknowledged similar concerns.

As far back as July 2022, the European Union’s law enforcement agency stated it had information indicating the «leakage» of weapons and ammunition — including heavy arms — from the conflict zone in Ukraine. European authorities assessed at the time that caches may have been prepared in advance along Ukraine’s border with EU member states, potentially facilitating the subsequent smuggling of arms.