OBSERVATORY OF ILLICIT MARKETS AND THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE 1

The country (compared to pre-2022 levels) may indicate a Western Balkans remains a significant source of sharp increase in supply due to a new flow of weapons weapons almost three decades after the end of the arriving in the country, which may be connected to the conflict in the Balkans, while Turkey was regularly cited RISK BULLETIN #1 – NOVEMBER 2023 4 by official sources in the course of our fi. [...] The rise of online The following three stories highlight the work of the platforms such as Telegram and the maturation of the Monitor in its first phase of operation, offering an insight dark web have transformed the modus operandi of arms into both the status quo of arms trafficking in certain trafficking: connections between buyers and sellers that contexts, and potential future developments. [...] Although the launch of the Unified Register in June 2023 the full-scale Russian invasion has increased the stocks streamlined the process of obtaining a gun permit, which of weapons in the country, including many weapons that could now be acquired without leaving the house – a would ordinarily be attractive to traffickers for the situation that could enable a greater uptake of legal Western EU mar. [...] This may be one of the 2023, not impossible.14 (In Odesa in September 2023, factors behind the 30% rise in gun crime witnessed in for instance, a man was searched and found to have Russia through 2022, with particular spikes in the grenades, mines and TNT in his car.)15 The naval Russian districts neighbouring the occupied areas of blockade of the port of Odesa has also deprived arms Ukraine – Kur. [...] The incidents in Sweden European countries (approximately 10.5 million as of were reportedly the latest developments in a cycle of June 2023).4 In the UK, for instance, the number of revenge that began in Turkey, and sought to attack not homicides with non-air weapons declined from 80 in only rival gangsters, but also family members – the 2002/2003 to an average of 28.5 in the period between 60-ye.