In Ukraine, according to estimates, there may be between 2 and 5 million pieces of illegal, unregistered firearms. specified data has been provided Bohdan Drapatyj, Deputy Minister of the Interior of Ukraine. Come on. precise numbers are hard to determine, the scale of the problem raises serious concerns among both authorities and society.
Drapatyj admitted that there is no precise methodology to find precisely how many unregistered weapons are in the hands of citizens. According to the data provided by the European partners of Ukraine, this number can scope up to 5 million units. The problem intensified after the outbreak of a full-scale war with Russia, erstwhile control over the issue of arms, especially in the first months of the conflict, was insufficient.
Causes of the problem
At the start of the war, situations occurred where recruits repeatedly applied for firearms, and control systems were besides weak to prevent abuse. In addition, in regions abandoned by Russian troops, the local population frequently found abandoned weapons, which it frequently utilized alternatively of reporting to authorities. These circumstances have led to an increase in the number of illegal weapons in the country.
New rules on arms ownership
The situation has a chance to improve thanks to the fresh law, which will enter into force in November 2024. The regulations, voted by the Verhowl Council, will enable civilians to declare firearms, ammunition and found weapons that have not yet been registered. The fresh law assumes that civilians will have a period to study illegal weapons. After December 25, 2024, any citizen who finds the weapon will be obliged to inform the police immediately. If a individual finds a weapon and wants to keep it, they'll gotta hand it over for registration.
The declarations will be subject to various types of weapons, including pistols, automatic rifles and hunting weapons. The authorities hope that the introduction of these rules will aid to regulate the situation of illegal arms possession and reduce the hazard of uncontrolled usage or illegal distribution in the future.
Threats for Poland and Europe
As we informed earlier, Cezary Luba's head of the CBS claims that after the end of the war in Ukraine Poland can become a destination country as well as transit arms smuggling. In an interview given in May this year, Luba pointed out that for the time being the service does not observe the trend of an increased influx of illegal weapons from Ukraine to Poland.
“We are trying to prepare for what happens erstwhile this conflict is over. We are counting on the fact that there may be the same situations as after the end of the war in the Balkans, which means that the weapon will most likely go somewhere. And where could the weapon end up after the armed conflict? mostly the black market. Then we, as a country that borders Ukraine directly, will be both a destination country and a transit country on this smuggling route. And we request to be prepared for that," said Cezary Luba in an interview with infosecurity24.pl.
Last year, the erstwhile Commandant of the Central Bureau of Police Investigation nadinsp besides spoke about the challenge of an influx of illegal weapons from Ukraine. Paul the Cross. He stressed that the precedence for the services is to prepare for the possible increase in the influx of weapons after the end of the war in Ukraine. "Saturation of arms – which will become unnecessary – will be large in Ukraine and can spill across Europe," he said.
Europol concerns and Ukraine response
Former spokesperson for Europol, Jan Op Gen Oorth, in an interview with the German press agency dpa said that Europol had information about the smuggling of weapons from Ukraine, including dense weapons. "There is simply a hazard that it will fall into the hands of organised crime groups or terrorists," said the spokesman. According to him, people were sighted leaving Ukraine with firearms, as well as fears that weapons and ammunition are stored along the border for smuggling into the EU.
These words met with Kiev's reaction. Secretary of the National safety and Defence Council of Ukraine (RNBO) Alexi Danilov tweeted that he expected Europol to present evidence of contraband and arms trafficking from Ukraine on the black market. Danilov suggested that reports of alleged smuggling of weapons from Ukraine are part of the Russian disinformation campaign.
Summary
The problem of illegal weapons in Ukraine is of large importance both for the interior safety of the country and for the stableness of the full region. The fresh rules, which will enter into force in November 2024, aim to regulate the situation and reduce the hazard of uncontrolled usage of weapons. At the same time, neighbouring countries, specified as Poland, are preparing for the anticipation of an increased influx of illegal weapons after the end of the conflict in Ukraine. Further monitoring of the situation and global cooperation will be crucial in preventing escalation of this problem.
More here:
Kiev reported that there are up to 5 million illegal weapons in Ukraine
