How weapons sent by West got stolen in Ukraine, Pentagon report reveals

Some of the weapons supplied by the United States and its allies to Ukraine were stolen by criminals, purported volunteer fighters and arms traffickers, a report from the US defence department's inspector general published by CNN has revealed.

The weaponswere originally meant to aid Ukraine's war-effort against Russia.

The report, titled, 'DoD's Accountability of Equipment Provided to Ukraine',further claims that the stolen weaponry and equipment were later recovered.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The report claims that between February to September 2022, Washington faced challenges in tracking and monitoring all the US equipment sent to Ukraine. The Arms Export Control Act in the United States requires Washington to track its defence supplies to the countries.

The US defence department's inability to visit the areas where the equipment was being used or stored significantly hindered their ability to monitor the situation effectively, the report argued. The US resumed on-site inspections of weapons given to Ukraine with tracking systems.

US supply of weapons to Ukraine: What Washington deems as potential risk?

The report acknowledged that sending weapons to aid Ukraine's war-effort entails the risk of potentialdiversion, especially if territory changes hands during the course of war.

The Republican Party has criticised the Biden administration for the purportedlack of accountability about the billions of dollars of aid provided to Ukraine.

Russia-Ukraine war: When US weapons were stolen

The report revealed instances whenorganisations deemed terrorist organisations by Russia and arms traffickers successfully stole weapons and equipment provided by the US and its allies.

For example, an organised crime group reportedly overseen by an unnamed Russian official used forged documents to steal weapons and ammunition. Similarly, Ukrainian criminals posed as aid workers to steal bulletproof vests.

Also watch |Report: Kyiv can't account for 'hundreds of millions' in weapons | Russia-Ukraine War

The report only revealed the instances in which the Ukraine's intelligence services purportedlyintervened and disrupted the arms stealing plots.

Overall, while larger items like missiles and helicopters were easier to track through intelligence mechanisms, smaller items, such as night-vision devices, posed more significant monitoring challenges.

WATCH WION LIVE HERE

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.