Ukraine shuts down arms network that supplied weapons to Steven Seagal, other pro-Russian figures
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Ukrainian authorities said they have dismantled an illegal arms trafficking network that allegedly funneled weapons to pro-Russian public figures and politicians, including U.S. actor Steven Seagal and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
The National Police of Ukraine said in an April 28 statement that the network sourced weapons from temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories and through illegal imports from Slovakia. Some of the weapons were distributed as so-called "prizes" by Denis Pushilin, the head of the Russian-installed administration in occupied Donetsk Oblast.
Police said the list of recipients includes a range of high-profile figures, including senior Russian officials and foreign leaders.
"Kim Jong-un, Bashar al-Assad, Dmitry Medvedev, Sergey Sobyanin, Sergey Lavrov, Ramzan Kadyrov, Steven Seagal, Yulia Chicherina, Vladimir Solovyov, Alexander Sidyakin, and Vladimir Saldo — these are the individuals who received 'prize' weapons from … Denis Pushilin," the statement said.
Seagal, who rose to fame as an action star in the 1980s and 1990s, later developed close ties to Russia and President Vladimir Putin as his Hollywood career declined. A Russian citizen and outspoken supporter of the invasion of Ukraine, he has promoted pro-Kremlin narratives and visited Russian-occupied areas since the start of the full-scale war.
Police said the investigation, launched in January, uncovered an organized criminal group involved in smuggling and modifying weapons moving between Russian-occupied Ukraine and Europe. Several suspects were detained in cooperation with Polish authorities at the border, and indictments have been sent to a Polish court.
Follow-up raids in April across Kyiv, Zakarpattia, and Sumy regions confirmed the scale of the trafficking network, authorities said. Investigators seized dozens of firearms and large quantities of ammunition, along with documents and equipment allegedly used to facilitate the operation.
Officials said the investigation is ongoing in coordination with international partners including Europol.
