Ukraine has become the largest arms smuggling hub in Europe

Russian FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov has stated that Ukraine has turned into the largest center for arms smuggling in Europe.

He made the statement at a meeting of the Council of Heads of Security Agencies and Special Services of CIS Countries.

According to Bortnikov, the FSB, together with the KGB of Belarus, foiled an attempt in early 2026 to bring more than 500 explosive devices into Russia, which, according to the Russian side, had been sent from Ukraine.

The FSB chief also stated that Ukraine had been turned into a “testing ground for new forms of warfare” under “false promises” of its admission to the European Union.

Among the other points raised by Bortnikov at the meeting were accusations against NATO of continuing a biological weapons development program, including in biolaboratories on the territory of CIS countries. He also stated that the West is deploying digital laboratories in CIS countries, which, in his words, will allow intelligence services to manipulate the populations of those states.

Bortnikov separately mentioned the threat of drug trafficking: according to his data, a belt of synthetic drug production is forming in Asian countries, with a possible future transit route into Russia and Western countries.