UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Matthias Schmale remarks at UNODC report launch

Ladies and Gentlemen, thank you for joining us this turbulent week in Kyiv.

Distinguished Representatives of the Government of Ukraine, Colleagues from the diplomatic community, 

Partners from civil society and international organizations, UN colleagues, notably UNODC,

The report, we’re launching today titled “Ukraine: Organized Crime Dynamics in the Context of War,” which was produced by the UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime), highlights evolving trends in organized crime in Ukraine since the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation.

Let me first, on the behalf of the UN, express appreciation, on the behalf of the UN, for the Ukrainian government’s work on strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to adapt to changes during the war. We applaud the strong cooperation between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Office of the Prosecutor General and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations.

Let me also express my appreciation to the Government of France for its support in making this timely research possible. 

This report provides an evidence-based analysis of how organized crime has adapted to the realities of war, and how these developments may shape Ukraine’s future security, governance, and development trajectory.

Since the onset of the war, Ukraine’s political economy has undergone a profound transformation. The disruption of both licit and illicit trade routes, the emergence of new informal economies, and the shifting dynamics at the frontlines and rest of the country created fertile ground for criminal networks to evolve and expand. These changes are not isolated. They are systemic, and they carry implications for Ukraine but also for the wider region and the international community.

Ukraine is a signatory to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which forms the basis for the work undertaken by UNODC. Ukraine is currently undertaking its Serious and Organized Crime Threat Assessment and is in the process of developing a new national strategy to counter organized crime with the support of UNODC. 

The report identifies six key areas of concern, including:

• The evolution of organized crime structures and their increasing adaptability;
• The dynamics of drug supply and demand, including domestic production and trafficking;
• The rise in cyber-enabled crimes such as online scams;
• The trafficking of arms, which poses a serious threat to regional and global security;
• Economic crimes, human trafficking and the facilitation of illegal exit and draft evasion, which undermines national resilience.

These are not just criminal justice issues. They are development issues. They affect the rule of law, public trust in institutions, and the ability of the state to deliver services and protect its citizens. If not dealt with, they may also pose a direct threat to Ukraine’s aspirations for EU accession and its broader reform agenda.

Addressing organized crime is a key requirement for sustainable peace and justice. It is also central to national recovery and human rights. It requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach, supported by international cooperation and solidarity.

With our international partners, the United Nations in Ukraine through UNODC, in particular is committed to continue working in support of the Government of Ukraine, civil society, to strengthen institutional capacities, promote accountability, and build resilience against the corrosive effects of organized crime.

Thank you again, UNODC, for this event and the report, and thank all for coming.