The Big Black Hole of Ukraine

Catherine De Bolle (right), Executive Director of the European Union’s law enforcement agency or EUROPOL told German media in late May 2022 that they were very concerned that the huge quantities of military equipment the West are flooding Ukraine will end up on the black market and in the hands of criminals and terrorists. 

Without a doubt, this will happen, if not already happening – and which means, it will only imperil the internal security landscape of the EU. 

As CNN reported on April 19, US defense officials had conceded that weapons shipments for Ukraine disappear “into a big black hole”.

There were also reports indicating that the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) have found the US had stepped up its efforts to recruit members of international terrorist groups, including extremist organizations, as mercenaries to fight in Ukraine and take part in sabotage operations against Russian forces. 

According to the SVR, in April about 60 Islamic State militants, aged 20 to 25, were released from prisons controlled by Syrian Kurds with the intervention of American intelligence services. They were "transferred to the US military base of Al-Tanf, located in Syria near the border with Jordan and Iraq, for combat training with the aim of a subsequent deployment to Ukraine", according to a statement from the SVR.

All of the above tells me one thing – once, the Ukraine conflict ends, Europe and even other parts of the world will be awash with weapons and it is likely to witness violence from criminal and/or terrorist elements on a scale never seen before. 

There is a long history of terrorism in Europe. This has often been linked to nationalist and separatist movements, while other acts have been related to politics (including anarchism, far-right and far-left extremism), religious extremism, or organized crime. FYI, in total there were 113 terrorist attacks in Europe in 2021, as revealed by the 2022 Global Terrorism Index. 

Besides, Ukraine has what the global organized crime index in 2021 called “one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe”. Experts have called for greater accountability and tighter controls over weapons shipments, in part to ensure that they are not diverted to the black market or for the personal profit of public officials – but alas, nobody is listening!  

Already, Western weapons sent as aid to Ukraine are being sold on the dark net. ASB Military News reported on June 02 that some of the arms the US and NATO donated are being sold to buyers in the Middle East and North Africa. 

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According to the Pentagon's 2021 budget, each Javelin missile costs $178,000. However, these missiles are now listed for sale on the dark net for just $30,000, ASB Military News revealed. 

With weapons a-plenty, things don’t look too good for Europe as well as the rest of the world.