In the course of counter-sabotage efforts in Kyiv region, the SSU shut down two channels of illicit trafficking of weapons and ammunition to Kyiv.

The SSU detained criminals who specialized in illegal sale of firearms, explosives and ammunition.

The items seized from them include an arsenal of combat grenades with detonators and Kalashnikov assault rifles with boxes of ammunition.

In Kyiv, the SSU neutralized arms traffickers, residents of Cherkasy region, who tried to sell a batch of weapons in the capital. The group looked for clients through personal connections in criminal circles.

During the searches, investigators seized:

• 12 combat grenades,
• 6 pistols of various brands,
• a rifle,
• over 270 rounds of various calibers,
• components for small arms,
• over UAH 1.2 mln (USD 29,000) derived from crime.

Another suspect was exposed on an attempt to traffic weapons from a front-line region in the East of Ukraine.

The detainee is a resident of Vinnytsia region; he tried to illegally transport military goods in his own car and sell them to criminals.

During the inspection of his vehicle, law enforcement officers found:

• 14 combat grenades (F-1 and RGD), with fuses,
• 25 detonators,
• 2 AK-74 Kalashnikov assault rifles,
• 24 grenades for an under-barrel grenade launcher,
• 14 flares,
• over 3,000 cartridges of various calibers.

The investigators will notify the detained offenders of suspicion; the court is to decide on the type of detention.

The investigations opened under Article 263.1 of the CCU (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives) are ongoing to establish all the circumstances of crimes and bring the involved to justice.

The SSU Main Directorate for Countering Systemic Threats to State Administration has been working on the cases together with the SSU Office in Vinnytsia Region and the National Police investigators under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office.