Police detain servicemen for reselling weapons stolen from front in Odesa region
According to Ukrinform, the SBI reported this on its website.
According to the investigation, five servicemen who had been serving in the Kharkiv and Donetsk directions were taking weapons, explosives, and ammunition from their units' arsenals and selling them.
The suspects effectively created an online store through which they sold their "goods."
Weapons, including grenade launchers, were sent by mail to Odesa, while large shipments were delivered in person.
An evacuation vehicle intended for transporting wounded soldiers was used for transportation. On March 11, SBI officers detained the servicemen while they were personally delivering weapons and ammunition to Odesa.
The $17,000 shipment included machine guns, various types of grenades and grenade rounds, assault rifles, and ammunition of different calibers.
The servicemen were notified of suspicion of illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives committed by a group of persons by prior conspiracy (Part 2 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
They were remanded in custody with the option of bail ranging from UAH 200,000 to UAH 2 million.
The article provides for a penalty of up to 7 years of imprisonment.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
SBI officers are establishing the full circle of persons involved in the illegal sale of weapons and ammunition.
Within the framework of the investigation, the issue of transferring the seized weapons for the needs of Ukraine's Defense Forces is also being considered.
According to the Odesa Specialized Prosecutor's Office in the defense sector of the Southern region, the suspects organized a scheme for selling weapons and ammunition intended to support the country's defense capability starting in January 2026.
It was established that part of the "goods" was sent via a postal delivery service, while large batches were delivered in person. The suspects partially transported the weapons and ammunition by car to the Odesa region, where they hid them in a cache on the territory of a vehicle service station.
The range of weapons offered included various types of armaments: rocket-propelled anti-tank and assault grenades; anti-tank grenade launchers; automatic firearms and ammunition for them; and fragmentation rounds.
It has been documented that they sold weapons worth over UAH 1.5 million.
As Ukrinform reported, during a large-scale special operation in the Ternopil region, police seized 11 firearms, a grenade launcher, and a large quantity of ammunition and explosives.
