The Tragic but Unsurprising Costs of Loose U.S. Weapons in Ukraine

Jordan CohenOver the last 48  hours, national news outlets have begun reporting that Ukrainian militias used U.S.-made armored vehicles (albeitunconfirmed by the U.S. government) in anattack over the Russian border and that Ukraine ’s security services conducted a drone attackagainst the Kremlin earlier this month. It is important to note that despite Washington ’s support for Ukraine, the United States was not involved in either attack. This recent escalation – with U.S. weapons systems in one case – is disappointing but not surprising.Since the start of the conflict, I  have writteneightdifferenteditorialsaddressinglooseweaponsinUkraine. This weapons dispersion happens for a  few reasons. First, there is a history of weapons dispersion in Ukraine. According to the2021 Global Organized Crime Index, Ukraine has one of thelargest illegally trafficked arms markets in Europe, especially when it comes to small arms andammunition. About300,000 small arms and light weapons were reported lost or stolen between 2013 and 2015. Of these, only slightly more than 13 percent are recovered, while the vast majority remains in circulation on the black market.All of this was already a  problem before the conflict. The invasion exacerbated these issues as the country was flooded with a sudden influx of millions of arms and ammunition and an increasing number of civilians received military training and weapons. As Rep. Sara Jacobs (D‑CA) noted at a 2022Cato policy forum on the...
Source: Cato-at-liberty - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs