17 July 2026

Dealers from Kherson and the Mykolaiv region were caught selling weapons from the front lines

(Photo: SBU)

The traffickers were attempting to sell captured weapons that had been illegally removed from the combat zone. Among those detained are a resident of the Mykolaiv region and a resident of Kherson.

This was reported by the Security Service of Ukraine.

According to the security service, in just one week, law enforcement officers dismantled seven underground networks involved in the sale of weapons, ammunition, and explosives in various regions of the country. The organizers of the illegal trade were detained while attempting to sell weapons in Kyiv, as well as in the Kharkiv, Donetsk, Vinnytsia, and Sumy regions and in Kherson.

In the capital, a resident of the Mykolaiv region was caught red-handed. According to the SBU, he had traveled to Kyiv to sell a batch of captured weapons that he had illegally transported from the combat zone in the east.

The investigation established that, prior to the sale, the man had been storing the weapons in the garage of an acquaintance in Kramatorsk.

In Kherson, law enforcement officers caught a local resident attempting to sell an AKS-74U assault rifle with a loaded magazine and additional 5.45 mm rounds.

<picture></picture>Photo: Security Service of Ukraine

According to investigators, the assault rifle and ammunition were stolen during the temporary occupation of Kherson and were being stored for subsequent sale on the black market.

The detainees were charged under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including illegal possession of weapons, illegal possession of weapons committed by a group of persons acting in concert, and theft of military property under martial law.

If found guilty, the suspects face 7 to 15 years in prison.

Ірина Глухова

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