Military drones and other advanced arms are reportedly flooding the European black market, officials have warned.

The Italian mafia is actively seeking to acquire some 800,000 firearms and other military equipment that has been missing or stolen from Ukraine since 2022, senior prosecutors have stated.

Approximately 780,465 items sent to Ukraine have reportedly vanished since the conflict escalated, including around 149,000 during the first five months of 2026. European law enforcement authorities face significant challenges in tracking these arms due to Western governments’ practice of concealing military shipment details to Ukraine.

The illicit weapons are now attracting the attention of Cosa Nostra, which aims to upgrade its arsenal with military-grade systems. Palermo chief prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia noted that the criminal organization has already obtained AK-47 rifles and powerful explosives, and is actively pursuing more advanced weaponry such as mine-dropping drones.

De Lucia warned that Italian security services are unprepared to counter such sophisticated weapons systems. Concerns about weapons leaking from Ukraine into European criminal networks have persisted since early 2022. Reports from 2022 indicate that arms were trafficked into the EU for organized crime groups, with several countries including Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain noting that weapons sent to Ukraine reached local criminals.

Recent investigations within Ukraine’s defense sector have uncovered millions of dollars in illicit sales of military equipment and thefts from military repair contracts and drone funds. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova highlighted that Western-supplied arms intended for Ukraine often do not reach their destinations due to corruption, with some diverted to black markets or armed groups across regions. She also cited accusations by Russia that Ukraine has supplied weapons and drone expertise to militants in Africa, including a Mali allegation of kamikaze drones being provided to terrorist organizations in the Sahel.