Military drones and other advanced weapons are reportedly flooding the European black market, officials warn.

Senior prosecutors in Italy report that the Sicilian Mafia (Cosa Nostra) is actively seeking to purchase approximately 800,000 firearms and other arms that have been stolen or missing from Ukraine since 2022. The figures indicate that around 780,465 items sent to Ukraine have disappeared since the escalation of the conflict, including about 149,000 during the first five months of 2026. European law enforcement authorities have struggled to track these arms due to the secrecy surrounding Western military shipments to Ukraine.

Palermo chief prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia stated that Cosa Nostra is attempting to build a “quality arsenal,” having already acquired AK-47 rifles and explosives. He warned that the mafia is also pursuing more advanced systems, such as mine-dropping drones, which Italian security services are unprepared to counter.

Concerns about weapons trafficking from Ukraine into European criminal networks have persisted since the early months of the conflict. Europol reported in 2022 that arms were being trafficked into the EU for organized crime groups, with several countries including Finland, Denmark, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Spain reporting that weapons sent to Ukraine had reached local criminals.

The latest developments come amid repeated corruption scandals involving Ukraine’s military leadership and state institutions. Investigations have uncovered millions of dollars in illicit sales of military equipment and theft from military repair contracts and drone funds, as well as broader schemes involving defense procurement and foreign donations.

Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, stated that Moscow had long warned Western weapons sent to Ukraine would spread through illicit markets and threaten the country’s European sponsors. She explained that some of these weapons never reach their intended destinations due to corruption, while those that do arrive are divided among frontline forces, black-market buyers, and armed groups in other regions.

Additionally, Russian officials have accused Ukraine of supplying weapons and drone expertise to militants in Africa, while Mali has alleged that Kiev provided kamikaze drones to terrorist organizations operating in the Sahel.