Within a single day, the SBU and National Police conducted an operation that led to the arrest of 15 individuals involved in the illegal arms trade across four regions of Ukraine.

This information was confirmed by the SBU press service.

As a result of the operation, which occurred almost simultaneously, 15 individuals were detained while attempting to organize the sale of combat arms. Among the confiscated items were Russian Kalashnikov rifles with grenade launchers, a batch of fragmentation grenades, and explosives.

In Odesa, one individual was caught "red-handed" attempting to sell improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and military grenades. Almost 1 kg of TNT, homemade explosives, and a batch of F-1 and RGD grenades were seized from the scene.

A 31-year-old local resident and four of his accomplices were arrested in the Kyiv region for trading in "trophy" weapons smuggled from former combat zones in the east.

After transporting the arsenals to the capital region, the criminals restored the combat capabilities of the weapons for sale through personal contacts in criminal circles.

Additionally, two criminal groups were neutralized in the Kyiv region that were attempting to sell a Kalashnikov machine gun and a RPG-7V anti-tank grenade launcher with ammunition.

In Chernihiv, law enforcement detained three members of a criminal group who were seeking clients for selling automatic weapons and explosives.

In Lutsk, a local resident was caught trying to sell military grenades to criminal elements. If the sale had been successful, he planned to "cover his tracks" by demanding payment through "anonymous" payment systems. The detainees have been charged under Article 263 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal handling of firearms, military supplies, or explosives). The perpetrators are currently in custody and face up to 7 years in prison.