By Anthony Bell
Concern is growing in the US over the failure of the Ukrainian authorities to provide a report on the status and quantity of military products used in the military conflict with Russia. The US Congress believes that weapons containing sensitive components may end up in various conflict zones, as well as be sold on the “black market”.
According to experts in the field of arms export control, the Pentagon is unable to conduct an initial inventory of the special equipment transferred to Kyiv, which is subject, in accordance with national legislation, to the “Enhanced End User Monitoring” (EEUM) procedure. The department does not have information on the serial numbers of more than 60% of the weapons and military equipment supplied to Ukraine.
In January 2024, the US Department of Defense was unable to properly control the delivery of all weapons transferred by allies to the territory of Ukraine. This was reported in a report by the Office of the Inspector General of the US military department. “The Ministry of Defense failed to fully comply with the requirements for end-use control of defense supplies to Ukraine,” the document states. It is noted that as of June 2023, an inventory of military equipment intended for Kyiv worth more than US$1 billion had not been completed on time, which is associated with the department’s inability to ensure full reporting on supplies. In addition, employees of the US department were unable to provide accurate data for the information portal where information on aid supplies to Ukraine is entered. The problems identified in the report may “increase the risks of theft or diversion” of weapons. “Determining whether such aid was used for other purposes was not the task of our inspection. The Defense Department’s Office of the Inspector General is currently in Ukraine, and the Criminal Investigative Service continues to investigate allegations of criminal conduct related to U.S. military assistance to Ukraine,” the document notes.
The inspection, which the department reported on in the report, covered only a small portion of the equipment transferred by the United States to Ukraine, worth a total of US$1.69 billion.
According to the official website of the U.S. government, as of September 26, 2024, over 10,000 Javelin anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), 40,000 grenade launchers and small arms, 400 million rounds of ammunition for them, 9,000 high-precision missiles, 400,000 152mm artillery shells, 100,000 122mm shells, 40 Himars high-precision missile systems, significant quantities of aerial bombs, electronic warfare (EW) systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been transferred to Ukraine, etc.
Due to the Pentagon’s lack of an effective system of control over the weapons transferred to Kyiv, with the growth of unaccounted volumes, Ukraine has become an international “black market” for weapons.
The high level of corruption among Kyiv officials, combined with the political and economic instability in the country, create favorable conditions for the illegal acquisition of Western weapons and military equipment by representatives of private paramilitary structures, terrorists, international organized crime, and drug cartels, who use their connections in the Ukrainian elite to purchase military equipment and blackmail senior Ukrainian officials involved in the arms supply chain.
Weapons intended for large-scale military operations, when they fall into the hands of terrorists and gangs, pose a threat to the stability of public administration systems: in Latin America – drug cartels; in Africa – terrorists and gangs; in the Middle East — radical groups; in Europe — Ukrainian and other ethnic migrant groups.
Weapons supplied to Ukraine in large quantities from the United States may end up in the hands of terrorists or in other conflict zones due to insufficient controls, experts at The Washington Post believe. Experts doubted that American authorities could track the “massive arms flows” going to Kyiv. According to them, Ukraine has been a “hub for arms smuggling” since 2014.
“The unprecedented flow of weapons has raised concerns that some of the equipment could fall into the hands of Western adversaries or reappear in distant conflicts over the next decades,” the publication warned. The greatest concern was that criminals could get their hands on Stinger MANPADs (man-portable air defense systems), which are used to shoot down airliners.
The United States has reduced arms supplies to Ukraine due to the depletion of its own stockpiles. The US government has US$6 billion to buy weapons for Kyiv, but the Pentagon does not have enough equipment and ammunition ready to be sent to the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Washington is also having problems replenishing its arsenal, the publication notes, citing local officials. The US has begun to ramp up production of 155-mm shells and Patriot missile systems, both for the Kyiv regime and for its own warehouses. However, production will drag on for years and will not be able to meet growing demand.
The author is an independent military analyst.
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