SBU uncovers arsenal of military-grade weapons in Zhytomyr home
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has detained a criminal in the city of Zhytomyr, found in possession of an extensive arsenal. Here's a detailed look at the seized weaponry.
It's important to note that in Ukraine, amidst the ongoing conflict with Russia, a simultaneous battle is being fought against organized crime with access to military-grade weaponry. This could be due to corruption among military personnel or the collection of arms from front-line areas.
In one case, SBU officers uncovered a rich collection of anti-tank weapons, primarily grenades for the anti-tank grenade launcher RPG-7. The arsenal also included TM-62 anti-tank mines, mortar shells of 60 mm calibre, and 12.7x99 mm NATO calibre ammunition.
Here's what the detained Ukrainian kept at home
The RPG-7 grenades included the commonly used 2.6 kg (about 6 pounds) PG-7VL grenades, capable of penetrating up to 500 mm (nearly 20 inches) of armored steel, albeit ineffective against reactive or rod armours. These are frequently employed by both Ukrainians and Russians in improvised "kamikaze" drones.
Also found were the significantly rarer thermobaric RTB-7MA grenades from Bulgaria, weighing 4.6 kg (about 10 pounds) and ideal for targeting enemies in buildings, and fragmentation grenades OG-9 from Romania, carrying roughly 750 g (about 1.6 pounds) of TNT, designed for recoilless guns SPG-9. Additionally, there were tandem PG-7VR grenades capable of cutting through up to 750 mm (about 30 inches) of armoured steel.
Further discoveries included Serbian 60 mm calibre mortar shells M73 with a maximum range of about 2.5 km (1.55 miles) and containing 250 g (about 0.55 pounds) of TNT, resulting in a blast radius of 10 metres (about 33 feet). There were also TM-62 mines packed with 7 kg (about 15 pounds) of TNT and several containers of 12.7x99 mm NATO calibre ammunition belts intended for the Browning M2 heavy machine guns.
The confiscated weaponry is likely to be allocated to a local military unit for use as originally intended by the donors.
