The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine has initiated a criminal proceeding regarding the possible illegal circulation of weapons under Article 263 of the Criminal Code. The decision was made following a request from journalists of “Schemes” to investigate the origin of the weapons and ammunition seized at the Moldovan-Romanian border in the fall of 2025.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Circumstances of the weapon seizure and reactions from the parties
After reports of the seizure of weapons at the “Leusheny-Albitsa” checkpoint in November 2025, Russian media actively spread the version that the cargo originated from Ukraine. Subsequently, this position was adopted by some Moldovan politicians. According to a journalistic investigation, customs officials discovered grenade launchers, anti-tank complexes, portable anti-aircraft missile systems, and debris from a “Shahed” drone in a truck belonging to a private carrier, which was declared as “metal constructions.”
According to the investigation materials from “Schemes” and the Moldovan project Cu Sens, law enforcement agencies in Moldova and Romania are investigating the case, within which five Moldovan citizens have been detained. The Ukrainian side has not yet been involved in the cooperation, although among the main versions discussed by Moldovan officials and published by pro-Russian resources is the assumption about the weapons’ origin from “undisclosed warehouses in Ukraine.”
Verification of the weapons’ origin and investigation results
Journalists reached out to all Ukrainian agencies that could respond to the incident related to the possible smuggling of weapons into the European Union. Deputy Prosecutor General Andriy Leshchenko noted in a comment that to identify the origin of the weapons, it is necessary to obtain their numbers and conduct identification. If the relevant data is obtained, Ukraine is ready to independently initiate its own investigation. Journalists provided a list of weapons obtained from sources in the Moldovan investigation.
“As a result of processing the information sent by journalists of ‘Schemes’ regarding the seized weapons and ammunition within the framework of a joint operation of the law enforcement agencies of Romania and Moldova, the Office of the Prosecutor General has initiated a criminal proceeding regarding the illegal circulation of weapons.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office reported that they have sent inquiries to military management bodies regarding the possible registration of these weapons in Ukraine. According to the responses, “no traces of the mentioned weapons and ammunition have been found.” Meanwhile, the investigation in Moldova has been completed, and the case materials have been transferred to court.
Despite public accusations against Ukraine, the joint investigation by Romanian and Moldovan law enforcement agencies has not provided evidence of the weapons’ origin from Ukraine after six months.