Inspectors general receive nearly 200 complaints alleging Ukraine aid misconduct
Mike Brest
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Three inspectors general overseeing U.S. aid to Ukraine have received 189 complaints of alleged misconduct as of the beginning of March.
The IGs from the Department of Defense, State Department, and U.S. Agency for International Development released a new report on Monday providing updates on their oversight of the $113 billion appropriated by the U.S. government for Ukraine since Russia’s February 2022 invasion.
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Despite the nearly 200 allegations, the inspectors general “have not yet substantiated significant waste, fraud, or abuse,” according to their report.
DOD officials said in late February they hadn’t seen any indications of weapons falling into the wrong hands.
“We don’t see any evidence of diversion in our reporting,” Colin Kahl, the undersecretary of defense for policy, told the House Armed Services Committee on Feb. 28, while Robert Storch, the Defense Department inspector general, also told lawmakers that “We have not substantiated any such instances” of weapons getting lost or diverted to those not authorized to have them.
The IGs recently published posters with information regarding hotlines individuals can contact to provide a confidential claim of waste, fraud, and abuse. Their report noted that the IG offices experienced an uptick in reports since then.
“We’re laser-focused on this issue,” Storch added. “We’re doing audits and evaluations that look at the weapons from the time they begin at the port, while they’re transferred, as they get to the transshipment points, and then go into the country.”
Members of Congress, most often Republicans, have frequently questioned how closely the administration is tracking its aid to Ukraine to ensure that it is not subject to fraud or ending up in the wrong hands. Those concerns reached new heights in January in the wake of a corruption scandal that resulted in Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov’s resignation.
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Storch, Diana Shaw, the deputy inspector general for the State Department, and Nicole Angarella, the acting deputy inspector general for USAID, will testify in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday regarding their oversight of Ukraine aid.
The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction warned in a report released last month that it’s “likely unavoidable” that weapons fall into the wrong hands due to the war and “the unprecedented volume of weapons being transferred to Ukraine.”