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Soldiers returning from the front line in Ukraine are bringing back weapons and military equipment, raising concerns that battlefield components could start circulating within the European Union, according to a confidential EU document seen by Euronews.
The risk of firearms being diverted from the battlefield will be discussed by EU ambassadors on Wednesday, as European authorities step up efforts to track weapons entering the bloc.
“Member states have reported weapon components and military equipment in the possession of returning combatants,” reads the EU Council document, which focuses on the war in Ukraine’s impact on EU internal security.
“While not necessarily connecting these individuals to organised smuggling activities, these detections demonstrate a potential risk of military components or other battlefield equipment being transported from Ukraine into the EU,” the document continues.
In recent months, several EU countries have pushed to bar former and current Russian combatants from entering the bloc over potential security risks, namely their involvement in sabotage and hybrid attacks on European soil.
The ban was included in the 21st sanctions package but was eventually watered down following opposition from France and Italy.
However, at an informal meeting of foreign ministers earlier this month, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said there was “broad support” to move forward with the visa ban, following an attempted drone attack in Leipzig in which one of the suspects reportedly entered the Schengen area on a tourist visa issued by Italy.
Meanwhile, Estonia has launched an intelligence-sharing operation with other countries on the so-called eastern flank to pool entry-refusal decisions against identified Russian combatants based on a judicial or administrative ruling.
“Foreign fighters, either volunteers or mercenaries, continue to pose a risk, as they acquire military skills and experience that could be further exploited once they withdraw from the conflict zone to engage in criminal activities or terrorism,” the document adds.
But the concern is not limited to Russian combatants. It also extends to Ukrainians returning from the frontline, particularly in member states hosting large numbers of Ukrainian refugees, such as Germany, Poland and Czechia.
At the same time, authorities in these countries point out that the security issue relates to the EU as a whole, since they are part of Schengen, and that soldiers reuniting with their families are unlikely to sell those weapons legally, Euronews understands.
According to a report published in March by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, there is currently no substantial weapon inflow from Ukraine to neighbouring countries, but weapon circulation remains a “structural risk.”
Kyiv, for its part, has already established a National Firearms Focal Point that supplies Europol with lists of seized, stolen or lost firearms.
Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, is directly involved and is due to establish a dedicated Firearms Hub by the first quarter of 2027 to improve the analysis and exchange of data on seized weapons.
Ukraine is also expected to adopt a dedicated roadmap on firearms trafficking by the end of this year, following the model of one already undertaken in the Western Balkans. Specific benchmarks on the issue have even been written into Ukraine’s accession negotiations.
Frontex, the EU’s border agency, has also issued specific instructions for border guards and customs authorities on firearm diversion, with a focus on Ukraine.
“One of the most significant long-term concerns in the context of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is the proliferation and diversion of firearms and other SALW [Small Arms and Light Weapons]. So far, few weapons have been seized and few arrests made,” the document says.