Weapons under control. 10 points to prove that Western weapons are in good hands in Ukraine

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Hyped-up scandals surrounding the alleged misuse of weapons obtained from Western partners in Ukraine have recently appeared not only in Russian propaganda, but also in the Western information field.

The accusations against Ukraine are absolutely groundless, but at the same time very dangerous. They can really influence the audiences of the countries whose help is so necessary.

Western weapons are currently critical for Ukraine’s ability to effectively resist invaders. Kyiv understands this and tries to build a trusting relationship with its partners. Moscow understands it just as well and tries to undermine this trust.

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The Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security cites ten arguments why weapons in Ukraine are truly under reliable control and are properly used, and all alarmist messages are harmful and groundless.

1. There is reliable information about the use of weapons and military equipment provided to Ukraine — it is available to the responsible government structures of Ukraine and partner states. 
2. The organization of logistics of military aid to Ukraine, communication between the militaries of partner countries, and monitoring are handled by the Control Centre based at the European Command of the US Armed Forces (EUCOM Control Center of Ukraine, ECCU), located in Stuttgart. The Centre, established following a meeting of defence ministers of 42 countries in Rammstein, hosts representatives of Ukraine and 15 donor states.
3. Representatives of all partner countries have been officially invited to Ukraine to monitor the use of weapons. A convenient format of cooperation is coordinated with every partner.   
4. The leading partners have appointed designated officials responsible for the control of the use of weapons. In August, Garrick M. Harmon, an attaché for army and defence issues, started working at the US Embassy in Kyiv. He is also responsible for monitoring the use of military aid. On the day of his arrival in Kyiv, he held a meeting with Defence Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Rieznikov.  Before his Ukraine assignment, Brigadier General Harmon led the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC), the agency responsible for international military assistance and arms delivery programs.
5. Ukraine introduced a three-level system of accounting for the supply and control of weapons. Ukraine is introducing a three-level accounting system for weapons supply and control. With the help of the NATO military logistics management system LOGFAS, Ukraine will account for weapons, equipment and other military items the same way that the US does it. The Ukrainian system of military equipment accounting and logistics Korovai and the specialized module of the information and analytical system of the NSDC SOTA enable the donors to keep track of the current status of the weapons provided by them. Integration of LOGFAS with the SОТА module provides full control over each unit of weapon provided by partners.
6. A temporary special commission was created in the Parliament of Ukraine to monitor the receipt and further use of the received weapons.
7. Information that can be used by the enemy to the detriment of Ukraine’s defence is a state secret. This applies to certain aspects of information about the scope, location, and use of Western weapons. Such sensitive information will not be shared with the media or any public organizations, even international ones.     
8. At the request of the partner countries, not all information is disclosed. Some partners, guided by their own national interests, insist that the Ukrainian side does not announce the amount and nomenclature of the aid they have provided to Kyiv.
9. Partner states expand the range of weapons that Ukraine receives: from Soviet-style anti-tank weapons and ammunition at the initial stage to modern European and American MLRS systems, barrel artillery, armoured vehicles, including tanks, anti-aircraft missile systems, and Soviet fighters today. This is evidence of the high confidence of partners in the Ukrainian military and political leadership of the state. Before receiving modern models of equipment and weapons, Ukrainian soldiers master them in training centres on the territory of partner countries.
10.  The Ukrainian military has proven its ability to effectively use modern Western weapons. Accurate HIMARS hits on the Antonivskyi Bridge and other examples proved the formula of this war to be effective: Ukrainian skills and bravery plus Western weapons equal Ukraine’s wins.  

Western weapons are an important turning point in the war. The more the Ukrainian military succeeds at the front, the more actively the Kremlin will resort to attempts to compromise Ukraine’s partnership with the West.

Helping Ukraine with weapons, the free world is not just saving Ukrainians from genocide. This is an investment in a fair and stable international system in which all countries, both large and small, can feel free and confident, independent of the whims of deranged dictators.

Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security