Russia is shipping weapons and ammunition to Italy using mafia networks, according to a new investigative report. Officials in Rome are reportedly worried that Vladimir Putin is trying to destabilise Europe through the illicit shipments.
They suspect the Kremlin tyrant may be trying to provoke armed conflict either inside Italy or elsewhere in Europe. The consignments consist of unmarked Kalashnikovs, newer assault and sniper systems, and ammunition manufactured between 2010 and 2020. The illicit cargo enters Italy through Sicilian ports – including in Catania – and via border crossings in Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The investigation into the Russian arms smuggling was carried out by the Italian online newspaper Linkiesta. Russia’s so-called shadow fleet has helped to transport the munitions to Italian ports.
The weapons are broken down and hidden in barrels of oil, fuel or lubricants to avoid inspections and preserve the arms from corrosion. Their onward distribution mirrors established narcotic routes.
Catania appears to have become one of the main centres of the trade.
Weapons caches tied to the Santapaola-Ercolano clan’s Nizza group were seized by police in March 2022, shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Police at the time recovered nine firearms —including two AK-47s described as Soviet-made — and almost 900 rounds.
Fresh consignments are reported to be circulating in the San Giovanni Galermo and Librino districts and stored in prepared warehouses.
Sources told Linkiesta that at least some of the weapons were produced by a state-owned company in the Russian city of Tula.
The weapons were produced without serial numbers, suggesting possible complicity by the Russian state in the transactions.
European and UN analyses have warned that “new” weapons lacking any serial numbers indicate potential para-state involvement.
