Interpol fears weapons delivery to Ukraine will end up on black market

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - Interpol expressed serious concern on Wednesday about the delivery of small and heavy weapons to Ukraine that can end up in the hands of criminals in Europe.

Agency head Jurgen Stock urged countries supplying military equipment to Kyiv to focus on tracing mechanisms.

"The wide availability of weapons during the current conflict will lead to the proliferation of illicit weapons in the post-conflict phase," he told the Anglo-American Press Association in Paris, as reported by Le Figaro news.

Stock feared the pilferage of arms and armaments by criminals in the EU’s black market as prices of guns are higher there. Several European countries, including France and Germany, along with the US, have delivered high-end defense equipment, artillery munitions and guns to help Ukraine defend its territory and fight Russian forces.

The concern comes after US armed forces exited Afghanistan in 2021 following two decades of war and left huge amounts of military equipment which eventually fell into the hands of the Taliban.

Stock said the heavy military weapons will be available on the criminal market.