Europol officially commented on statements about alleged “signs of arms trade from Ukraine”

Europol said it was working closely with Ukrainian officials to reduce the threat of illegal arms trafficking to the European Union. Europol emphasized full confidence in Ukraine as it implements new measures to monitor and track firearms.

The organization published its statement on July 22.

" Regarding the war in Ukraine, Europol has warned that the proliferation of firearms and explosives in Ukraine could lead to an increase in firearms and munitions trafficked into the EU via established smuggling routes or online platforms. This threat might even be higher once the conflict has ended," the organization said.

The organization emphasized that Ukraine continues to comply with the instructions and cooperate in matters of interest to the internal security of the EU.

• On July 21, the official representative of Europol, Jan Op Gen Oort, in a comment to German journalists, stated that Europol detects signs of arms smuggling from Ukraine. There are cases of trade in firearms and military goods on the black market. According to the representative of Europol, cases were recorded when people left Ukraine with firearms. There are also fears that weapons and ammunition are stored along the border for further smuggling into the EU.
• On July 22, the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said that Ukraine is waiting for a substantive conversation with representatives of Europol, who the day before announced "signs of arms trade from Ukraine."