An inspector general report revealed that Russian organized crime groups and other unauthorized groups obtained weapons from the Department of Defense (DOD) that were meant for Ukraine’s military.
The report obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request from Military.com found U.S. efforts to provide security assistance failed.
As there was little accountability from the U.S., weapons were diverted to other organizations.
“The inability of [Defense Department] personnel to visit areas where equipment provided to Ukraine was being used or stored significantly hampered [Kyiv’s Office of Defense Cooperation]’s ability to execute [end-use monitoring],” the report states.
The report details the weapons sent between February and September 2022.
A Ukrainian criminal group illegally imported bullet-proof vests while acting as a humanitarian organization, according to the report.
Another incident where a Ukrainian volunteer battalion stole rifles and ammunition, likely for sale on the black market, was also described.
Reporting from The Daily Caller:
In most cases, U.S. forces could not determine where weapons ended up once they were transferred from aircraft at waystations near the Ukrainian border. By the summer of 2022, Ukrainian police were regularly apprehending criminal groups operating heavy weaponry that originated from the U.S. aid, according to the report. Much of the report is redacted, citing “foreign government information” and “intelligence activities.”