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30 May, 2017
Does International Security Assistance Reach the Frontlines?
Since the beginning of armed hostilities in the Donbas region, Ukraine has received hundreds of millions of dollars of international security assistance for self-defensive sphere. Does the state authorities report on its use? Does this security assistance reach the frontlines? On May 22 at 11:30, in the Ukraine Crisis Media Center the press conference will be held discussing the outcomes of the joint research of the Independent Defence Anti-Corruption Committee (Nezalezhny Antikorrupciynii Komitet z pytan oborony, or NAKO) and Transparency International Defense and Security (ТІ-DS) Great Britain “International security assistance in the defense sphere. Making the system work”. We are talking about the research results on the use of funds with Sevgil Musaieva (Member of NAKO and the chief editor of the Ukrayinska Pravda (UP)) and Artem Davydenko (NAKO Analyst).

Iryna Slavinska: How much money does Ukraine receive from international donors for the defense sector?
Artem Davydenko: there are different figures but some of the funds are a part of the programs provided assistance for other countries too. Both the United States Department of Defense and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine provide different numbers. This situation takes place because they include material and technical assistance, whereas the US DoD sometimes provides the numbers that include the cost of training and advisory assistance.
Sevgil Musaieva: Ukraine received assistance from 18 countries since the military aggression in Donbas. In 2016, the USA provided financial assistance of about 7% of the total military budget.

Iryna Slavinska: The amount of hundreds of millions of dollars of the international assistance received from 18 countries is mentioned. How are these funds spent by function? Can we ensure these funds are controlled by someone?
Sevgil Musaieva: speaking about the way these funds were spent and controlled, we included the question of the effective use of funds into the report. As soon as the military aggression began, it was a big problem for us as the front line always moved and there were no effective monitoring tools available. We can confirm the progress of monitoring and the control of funds by the Ukrainian state authorities and report back to the donors.
Artem Davydenko: the situation changed. But the donors still admitted some of the drawbacks, and the Department of Defense has accepted several regulations that govern this sphere.
Iryna Slavinska: Talking about the funds and assistance provided for the Ukrainian defense sector, do you imply credits or grants?
Artem Davydenko: Speaking about the USA, we imply technical irreversible assistance or a credit we should never reimburse.
Iryna Slavinska: What about other countries- do we have to reimburse credits to them?
Artem Davydenko: No, we should not.
Iryna Slavinska: Do these millions of dollars reach the front line?
Sevgil Musaieva: As Artem has just mentioned, the biggest surprise was the fact that there was no issue related to corruption. But there is the issue of management and maldistribution and inadequate management decisions. The recommendations part of the report provides details. At the same time, we cannot say that the assistance does not reach the front line.
Larysa Denysenko: What are the main problems of ineffective management? Do people know about the needs and the targets of this assistance?
Artem Davydenko: One of the issues is that Ukraine did not have experience of using the equipment we get. We have a bit different constructions design, employment, and handling. Also, we have no the opportunity for maintenance of all the equipment received. Thus, we need additional equipment which will let us effectively distribute the aid. There have always been the big challenges in this sphere. Thus, we can admit there is some progress. As far as we know, the Department of Defense has increased value of the aid requested and include spare parts, maintenance and staff training in the requests.

Larysa Denysenko,  Iryna Slavinska | Hromadske Radio