The Europol head says weapons sent to Ukraine by Western countries may end up on the European black market and be used by various criminal groups.
In an interview with Welt am Sonntag, Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle revealed that her organization is bracing for an influx of illegal weapons in Europe that were originally delivered to Ukraine by Western countries to aid Ukrainian troops battling Russia.
Europol is anxious, according to De Bolle, about who will obtain these weapons once the battle is over.
She pointed out that after the Yugoslav Wars ended 30 years ago, significant volumes of weapons appeared in Europe, and that these weapons are still being used by various criminal groups today.
De Bolle wants Europe to be prepared this time. According to her, an international working committee has already begun looking at potential solutions to their problem.
De Bolle did not go into detail about the steps Europol proposes to take to prevent the spread of weapons from Ukraine across the continent via criminal organizations.
Apart from gun trafficking, Europol is also on the lookout for known terrorists and violent extremists, particularly right-wingers, attempting to flee Ukraine for Europe, according to the agency’s leader, who spoke to Welt am Sonntag.
Moscow has frequently warned Western countries against sending arms to Ukraine, accusing them of prolonging the crisis and harming Russia rather than aiding Ukraine, as these countries say.
The Kremlin also cautioned that Kiev would not be able to guarantee that these weapons would not end up in the hands of extremists or terrorists, jeopardizing European security.
Despite these warnings, Western countries continue to spend billions of dollars supplying weapons, especially heavy weapons, to Ukraine under the guise of supporting Kiev’s fight against Russian troops participating in the special military operation, as well as fighters from the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), which have been fighting for independence since 2014.
Following a request for aid from the DPR and LPR, President Vladimir Putin ordered the operation on February 24.