Since the war occurred in Ukraine, organized crimes accepts new forms

Since February 2022, both legal and illegal economies in Ukraine have been severely disturbed by the war.

The report examines the development of organized crime structures in the country and focuses on six different areas: drug trafficking and production, online fraud and fraud, arms trade, economic crime, human trafficking and the relief of illegal exit and the trigger.

“The war not only inflicted immeasurable suffering from the Ukrainian people, but also triggered a significant development of organized crime – the profound effects on the country's path to reconstruction and reconstruction can have,” said Angela Me, head of research and analysis at UNODC.

Drug trafficking

While the trade in cocaine and heroin has dropped drastically since 2022, production and trade in synthetic medication such as cathinones and methadone have increased.

The expansion of the Cathinone trade in recent years has been relieved by the Darknet, especially by market platforms such as Hydra, which was mined in April 2022.

With regard to methadone, the report found that most of the Ukrainian production in the country and not abroad is traded, since the domestic demand for the medication increases.

Arms trade

The war has also increased the availability of weapons in the country, in particular due to a massive gun stream from the battlefield.

This surplus leads to an increase in weapon attacks and violence among civilians, which are particularly characterized by an increase in domestic and intimate partner violence.

Although there is no evidence that you have hit a large -scale arms trade outside of Ukraine, UNODC emphasized how important it is to monitor the situation in view of the mere number of weapons available and the historical regional presence of criminal actors who specialize in weapons trading.

While there is currently no evidence that drones are used in a non-military context, civilian drones and 3D printed components for attacks on the front front could stimulate new illegal markets, the report said.

Human trafficking

Since around 14 million people were driven out in the war, some criminal groups have exploited these population groups by lying them into animal shelters or accommodations that are disguised as humanitarian aid service providers where they are exposed to forced labor.

While an increased patrol of the borders, paired with the almost complete closure of the eastern and northeastern borders, which smuggling of migrants restricted by Ukraine, human retailers have instead turned into the relief of the evading of the Ukrainian men.

“The restriction of organized crime is an essential prerequisite to achieve sustainable peace, justice, national security and the protection of human rights,” said Matthias Schmale, UN -Somed and humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, since the global body is willing to support the country in this critical work.