Earlier in February, US House lawmakers demanded that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin provide them with documents related to US military aid to Ukraine.
US officials failed to properly track over $1 billion worth of American weapons sent to Ukraine, a report by the Pentagon’s inspector general revealed in January. This echoed last year’s admission by the Department of Defense’s Office of the Inspector General that it was facing “challenges” monitoring US military equipment being funneled to Kiev.
Criminal investigators in the US have opened over 50 cases related to Ukraine aid amid a growing chorus of concerns over insufficient oversight and potential for misuse.
Investigations are looking into possible “procurement fraud, product substitution, theft, fraud or corruption, and diversion,” according to Pentagon Inspector General Robert Storch.
Most of these cases – some involving contractors – are still underway, but already “stresses and gaps” have been laid bare by the auditors, the inspector general told a briefing during the week, adding:
“We have not substantiated any such allegations, though that may well change in the future.”
According to the official, “given the quantity and speed” of equipment being sent to Ukraine, one may anticipate more investigations into abuse or diversions.
“This spending does not help Ukraine,” Elon Musk said, arguing against providing additional financial aid to Ukraine.
“Prolonging the war does not help Ukraine… We want to do the right thing. We want to help people. The problem is prolonging the war and sacrificing the flower… pic.twitter.com/LzIm1mgPyz
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 13, 2024
While few details were offered, the briefing referenced audits having discovered incomplete shipment manifests bound for Ukraine via Poland. “As a result, DoD personnel did not have required visibility and accountability of all types of equipment during the transfer process,” the audit assessment was cited as underscoring.
Another cited audit still underway purportedly deals with delivery of 155 mm artillery shells to Ukraine. Specifically, the probe is tasked with determining whether the US was able to meet its shipment goal without undermining its own defense needs.
Earlier in February, US House lawmakers demanded that Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin provide them with documents related to US military aid to Ukraine.
“Following an Inspector General report revealing the Department of Defense (DoD) has failed to track military weapons and articles going to Ukraine, the lawmakers are calling on DoD Secretary Lloyd Austin to provide documents and information to understand how the Department intends to mitigate the vulnerabilities of military assistance to Ukraine,” the letter said. It referred to a 2023 report concluding that the Pentagon faced “challenges” in monitoring all of the American military equipment pouring into Ukraine.
Furthermore, funds allocated by the US to support Ukraine were finding their way to the world’s money-laundering capitals, a member of the US House of Representatives, Matt Gaetz, recently stated. Gaetz, one of a growing chorus of vocal opponents of aid to Ukraine in Congress, told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) that the US should no longer provide foreign aid without cutting its own “bloated” federal budget.
Funds allocated by the US to support Ukraine are being spread around the world’s money-laundering capitals, a member of the US House of Representatives, Matt Gaetz, has said.
In Gaetz’s opinion, the US should no longer provide foreign aid without cutting its own “bloated”… pic.twitter.com/QawwUu775O
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) February 24, 2024
News of the probes comes as the Biden administration’s supplemental funding request worth over $100 billion, which includes more than $60 billion for Ukraine, remains in limbo. House Republican lawmakers have refused to approve it without measures to strengthen border security and restrict immigration.
After Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, the US and its allies ramped up their military assistance to Kiev. Moscow has repeatedly warned that NATO countries are “playing with fire” by supplying arms that the Kremlin said prolongs the conflict in Ukraine. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, for his part, underscored that any cargo with weapons for the Zelensky regime would become a legitimate target for Russian forces.
Furthermore, Moscow has repeatedly warned that some of the weapons the West has sent to the corrupt Kiev regime would end up on the black market. It is estimated that 10-15% of weapons delivered to Ukraine are illegally re-exported to the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, and Africa, the director of the Center for Analysis of World Arms Trade (CAWAT), Igor Korotchenko, told Sputnik in 2023.
