Ukraine’s Military: Realities and Risks for U.S. Lethal Aid
As pressure on the White House to authorize lethal aid to Ukraine continues from a growing number of former U.S. diplomats and U.S. military and intelligence officials, it is important to have a clear picture of any potential risks in providing the Ukrainian military with weapons. Outside of whether such U.S. lethal aid may provoke Russia to intensify military support to the rebels, there has been relatively little discussion in the U.S. media about other key risks. Yet, high levels of corruption within the Ukrainian military and the military’s use of problematic volunteer battalions present clear challenges in ensuring U.S. weapons are used responsibly in Ukraine.
According to Sarah Chayes with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, “any US assistance [to Ukraine] should be tailored to the realities of a security sector that has been - and still is - dangerously corrupt.” In early January, the Ukrainian presidential advisor and assistant to the defense minister, Yuriy Biriukov, said about “20-25 percent of the money allocated to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry is currently being stolen.” With the Ukrainian military budget hovering around $5 billion a year in the past couple of years, the stolen money amounts to millions of dollars lost to corruption, contributing to a seriously underfunded military.
There has also been alleged cases of corruption within senior levels of the Ukrainian military and defense industry. In July 2014, the Ukrainian military prosecutor’s office arrested the head of the Kyiv Armor and Tank Plant, Eduard Iliyin, after he allegedly tried to transfer money designated for production of armored vehicles to the account of a fictitious firm. Mr. Iliyin was also accused of stealing a T-72 tank and attempting to sell seven more. Last November, the head of procurement for the defense ministry, Oleksandr Zrazhevsk, was also arrested for allegedly receiving a bribe to select a fictitious firm to supply diesel fuel to the army.
While the administration of President Petro Poroshenko is reportedly rebuilding the leadership of the security services, some Western governments have already changed the way they provide military-related items to Ukraine to deal with the corruption. After NATO military uniforms intended for Ukrainian soldiers reportedly ended up being sold in a Ukrainian street market, Canada required that its winter outfits for Ukrainian soldiers only be delivered to the Ukrainian Council of Volunteers. As the United States plans to send weapons such as anti-tank missiles, it will have to find another way to ensure U.S. weapons are not lost or resold.
The United States will also encounter difficulties in ensuring any weapons provided to the Ukrainian military don’t reach several problematic National Guard volunteer brigades. In a joint report issued by three U.S.-based think tanks in support of the provision of lethal arms to Ukraine, it recommends that U.S. weapons and military equipment should go to the “Ukrainian Army only.”
One of the reasons for the above-mentioned requirement is the fighting methods of the Aydar and Azov volunteer battalions, which have been strongly criticized by United Nations, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Fighters from these battalions, known among civilians as the “punitive battalions,” are accused of various crimes including “abductions, unlawful detention, ill-treatment, theft, extortion, and possible executions.” In addition, the Azov battalion decorates their uniform with Nazi insignia as exposed by Norwegian and German TV reporters.
While the United States may require that no U.S. weapons reach these battalions, this requirement may prove difficult in practice. According to Ukrainian law, many of the volunteer battalions are now an official part of the National Guard of Ukraine, which is a part of the Ukrainian armed forces, even though some of the battalions still often pursue their own agenda. Ukrainian news sources have indicated that the total number of volunteers is approximately 7,000, subdivided into more than 40 different battalions.
Compared to the earlier stages of the current conflict in Ukraine, the cooperation between the volunteers and the Ukrainian Army is now much stronger, and they are often fighting side-by-side on the battlefield. There are numerous accounts of the battalions Aydar, Azov, Donbas and the Right Sector closely collaborating with the Ukrainian Army. The Azov volunteers were at the forefront of Debaltseve counter-offensive coordinated by the Ukrainian Army, while the Aydar fighters were spearheading the offensive in Luhansk. Furthermore, the Ukrainian government recently supplied the Azov brigade with military equipment, including armored vehicles with weapons.
Although the Poroshenko administration is concerned about the abuses of some of these volunteers and dozens of criminal cases were opened against the Aydar battalion alone, the administration has been reluctant to address the concern. The administration’s unwillingness to act may be in part because these volunteers have strong support from certain senior government officials such as Arsen Avakov, the head of the Ministry of Interior. Last September, for instance, Avakov named an Azov volunteer as the head of the Kiev police. A Ukrainian governor in eastern Ukraine, Ihor Kolomoyskyy, is also financing some of these brigades and allowing them to flout Ukrainian law.
As the Obama Administration continues to determine whether it makes sense to supply Ukraine with lethal aid, it is important to look beyond the potential Russian reaction alone in such a public debate. Both the high level of corruption within the Ukrainian military and the continued support of problematic volunteer brigades poses clear risks to the loss, resale or misuse of U.S. weapons and military equipment, potentially harming innocent civilians. It will be critical for the United States to fully understand these risks to protect U.S. interests.
Nika Khmolovska is a research intern with Security Assistance Monitor and covers Africa and Eurasia security assistance issues.