While war rages in Ukraine, organized crime takes new forms

Since February 2022, the legal and illegal economies in Ukraine have been seriously disrupted by the war.

The report examines the evolution of the structures of the crime organized in the country and is focused on six distinct areas: drug trafficking and production, online and fraud scams, arms trafficking, economic crime, trafficking in people and facilitation of illegal exit and escape.

“War not only inflicted incalculable suffering on the Ukrainian people, but has also triggered a marked development of organized crime – which may have profound implications for the country’s journey to takeover and reconstruction,” said Angela Me, head of research and analysis Unodc.

Drug trafficking

While cocaine and heroin trafficking in Ukraine has decreased considerably since 2022, production and traffic in synthetic drugs such as Cathinons and methadone have increased.

The expansion of Cathinone traffic in recent years has been facilitated by Darknet, in particular through market platforms such as Hydra, which was dismantled in April 2022.

Regarding methadone, the report noted that most of Ukrainian production is treated in the country and not abroad, because domestic demand for drugs are increasing.

Arms trafficking

War has also increased the availability of weapons in the country, especially due to a massive influx of weapons in the battlefield.

This surplus leads to an increase in convulsions and violence among civilians, marked in particular by an increase in the violence of domestic and intimate partners.

Although there is no evidence suggesting that large -scale arms trafficking outside Ukraine, UNODC stressed the importance of monitoring the situation in light of the number of weapons available and the historic regional presence of criminal actors specializing in arms trafficking.

Although there is, for the moment, no evidence of drones used in a non -military context, civil drones and 3D printed components for front -line attacks could feed new illicit markets, according to the report.

Trafficking

As around 14 million people were moved by war, some criminal groups have exploited these populations by attracting them to shelters or dwellings disguised as humanitarian assistance suppliers, where they are subject to forced work.

While the intensified border patrol, associated with the almost complete closure of the eastern and northeast borders, limited the smuggling of migrants via Ukraine, the traffickers rather turned to the facilitation of the escape of the project by Ukrainian men.

“The reduction of organized crime is a key requirement to achieve sustainable peace, justice, national security and the protection of human rights,” said Matthias Schmale, United Nations humanitarian resideer and humanitarian coordinator in UkraineAs the World Organization is ready to support the country in this critical work.