Washington admits that after the war, some of what was sent to Ukraine as aid may end up on the black market.
To date, the United States has sent military aid to Ukraine for 2 , $ 5 billion. This amount includes new deliveries that arrived in the country this week. The new aid package includes helicopters, howitzers, drones and many other weapons. Can all these weapons fall into Russia's hands?
According to CNN reports, if this risk exists, it is more long-term. US officials understand that there is a possibility that some of these weapons will end up on the black market when the war in Ukraine is over. And so it could fall into the hands of military and combat groups that the United States did not plan to arm. In the past, such things have happened in other conflicts in which Washington has armed one side or another. But the reason is that the United States does not have a clear scheme to track what is happening to American weapons as soon as they cross the Ukrainian border. No one can say which units receive military assistance and how they use it.
“We have clarity for a short period. But when weapons plunge into the fog of war, we know nothing. Everything disappears in a big black hole. And after a short period of time, any understanding disappears, “CNN quoted a source familiar with US intelligence as saying. p>
There are several reasons why this happens. One of them is that a significant part of the weapons that the United States sends to Ukraine are portable systems designed for infantry. These are, for example, MANPADS or disposable drones that are easy to transport and difficult to track compared to heavy weapons such as the S-300 provided by Slovakia. Another and probably the most critical reason is that the US Army is not in Ukraine, it is not integrated with the Ukrainian army. That is why it is difficult for Washington to keep a strict record of where ammunition goes and how it is used. But in the end, it's a well-considered risk that the Joe Biden administration is willing to take. A US Department of Defense official told CNN that not arming Ukraine properly is a much greater risk than having some weapons on the black market after the war.
Former US Marine Corps Special Forces Commander Colonel Andrew Milburn agreed that the logistical process of transferring American weapons to the front was completely unreliable. According to him, American logistics inside Ukraine are very bad.
“I would say that the least the US government now thinks is that these weapons could fall into the wrong hands. In fact, the weapons are really in the wrong hands. But not because of any intentional evil intentions, “he explained.
He noted that much is coming to the western regions of Ukraine, where it is relatively safe, despite isolated cases of Russian rocket fire. Warehouses in these regions are well guarded.
“But in the end, it's simple: you lose control of the logistics supply system if you don't have your own record-keeping people in place. Again, there are no evil intentions. But there is no one who would like to take things from warehouses to military units to the front. Commanders on the ground, they can be understood that they care about their guys. I have a commander in the next room who came from the front. Tomorrow we will go with him back to the southeast. It's about a 6 hour drive. He said that a few days ago, 6 guys died at a regular collection point. They bled because of a lack of turnstiles, a lack of first aid kits, and a lack of training and equipment. That's why it's ridiculous to fill out some paperwork, “Milburn said.
Read also: Forbes: Ukraine's transition to NATO weapons is unprecedented and inevitable
When asked by CNN journalists what weapons Ukraine needs most of all now, he replied that they were drones.
“Unfortunately, there has been too much public talk about the effective operation of Turkish Bayraktar drones. And they did a really good job. But there are not many of them. All these drones are in the hands of a special unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. All but one of the units I spoke to had nothing better than the DJ-1 drones made in China. They make it absolutely easy to track the operator. They are completely vulnerable to the Russian blockade. Frankly, it's rubbish. We only recently saw the first group of American drones at the front. They were actually brought there by my guys, who train troops on the front lines, “said the former US military.
He also added that American drones coming to the front in Ukraine are not even lethal weapons. They are intended for reconnaissance.
“As the Ukrainians go on the offensive, they will need Class 2 drones with a longer range. And they are not in the Armed Forces at all, except for this Chinese garbage, “Milburn explained.
He also stressed that the Ukrainian army is in dire need of medical supplies. Various humanitarian organizations buy and transport such things en masse. But no one from the warehouses in the west of Ukraine takes them to the front.
“I'm talking about first aid kits, anti-injury kits. The commander in the kitchen behind me lost the guys in the usual gathering place. And this happens all the time. Everything from emergency care to transporting the boys to the hospital is not enough. The level of losses among Ukrainians is not published. But, unfortunately, it is higher than it should be. And those who are involved in this war and see this ridiculous attention to how the United States is helping, are heartbroken when we hear real stories, “said the former US military official.
It will be recalled that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly asked for fighters from NATO countries to defend Ukraine's airspace. In particular, Poland declared its readiness to hand over the MiG aircraft, but withdrew after the US condemned such a statement .
In addition, since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, Ukraine has called on the United States and NATO to close the skies over our country. This will prevent the Russian army from launching missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and landing troops. However, NATO refused Ukraine's request , citing fears of being drawn into the war with Russia.
Read about Pavel Klimkin's article “ Why the West does not want to close the sky over Ukraine “in ZN.UA .
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