April 10, 2024

Black Market for Weapons Growing


Black Market for Weapons Growing
104th Guards Air Assault Regiment. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons.

Military courts in 2023 dealt with 179 cases of weapons trafficking, marking a significant increase compared to previous years.

Seventy-eight individuals involved in Russia's War on Ukraine face charges. These individuals are accused of transporting weapons from the frontlines through occupied territories, with the majority of convictions handed down by courts in the Rostov region, which also includes cases against military personnel operating in newly annexed regions.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Global Organized Crime Index reported a growth in the black market for weapons, positioning Russia as the second-largest market in Europe after Ukraine, and on par with countries like Pakistan, Ethiopia, Chad, and Nigeria.

Not surprisingly, experts attribute the surge to ongoing military operations. In 2023, military courts processed double the number of cases related to trafficking in firearms, ammunition, and explosives compared to the pre-war period. Conversely, the number of similar cases in civilian courts remained unchanged.

Instances of theft from military facilities contribute to the proliferation of illegal arms. In one case, Alexander Andreychuk, a mobilized soldier, stole weaponry from a base camp in Ukraine, attempting to sell it in Russia before being apprehended by authorities. Similarly, military officer Roman Tseluiko stole a Kalashnikov assault rifle and ammunition from a weapons storage room, aiming to sell them, but was intercepted by security forces.

Weapons from the conflict zones often find their way onto Russian online platforms such as Telegram channels and websites. Despite efforts by Roskomnadzor to block these platforms since 2016, including well-known sites like the Cherny Rynok (Black Market) weapons store, illicit trade persists as trades simply shift domains to evade censorship. In September 2022, Cherny Rynok expanded its operations, offering a range of weapons and permits, with over 237 web addresses leading to illicit gun stores now blocked nationally. More than half were added in 2023.

You Might Also Like

An Air Self Defense
  • March 27, 2024

An Air Self Defense

Some Russian companies are buying their own air defense systems.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

Jews in Service to the Tsar
October 09, 2011

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955