A Department of Defense Office of Inspector General report has unveiled troubling details about U.S. efforts to arm Ukraine against Russia. Ukrainian arms traffickers and Russian organized crime groups have intercepted weapons meant for the Ukrainian military.
Although the report was classified, it was accessed by Military.com through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The document indicates that a significant portion of the billions given in security assistance during 2022 frequently failed to reach their intended recipients.
A particularly condemning statement in the report highlights the “inability of Defense Department personnel to visit areas where the equipment provided to Ukraine was being used or stored.” This considerably hindered our capacity to oversee the final usage of the security assistance we supplied. [Source]
One notable incident involved a Russian-backed criminal gang in Ukraine procuring a grenade launcher and a machine gun. According to the IG report, their objective was “to conduct destabilizing activities.”
The study also uncovered instances where Ukrainian arms traffickers took U.S. security aid and sold it for a profit.
U.S. weapons proved to be insecure even when held by the Ukrainian military. Monitoring revealed situations where Ukrainian military personnel were handed weapons but then sold them on the black market.
Despite the severe implications, the response from the U.S. government was plagued with delays. The DODIG released the report on October 7, 2022. However, comprehensive tracking measures weren’t announced until October 28th. Furthermore, U.S. oversight remains heavily restricted, making us dependent on Ukrainian forces to digitally record U.S. aid destinations. [Source
In 2022, the U.S. disbursed a staggering $16.2 billion in security assistance, encompassing tens of thousands of Stinger and Javelin missiles. The Biden administration was slow to enforce rigorous tracking.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky urged the Biden administration to enhance its oversight. He accentuated the importance of “ensuring timely delivery of required weapons and heightened allied aid to Ukraine.” [Source]
McConnell, in his statement on October 21, 2022, declared, “A Republican majority in the Senate will concentrate its oversight on ensuring the punctual delivery of essential weapons and increased allied support for Ukraine.”
The IG report acquired by Military.com is extensively redacted due to “foreign government information” and “intelligence activities.” This leads one to wonder about the potential other occurrences where U.S. weapons, intended for the Ukrainian conflict, were misappropriated.