The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine together with the State Customs Service conducted joint internal audits in the period from March to July 2024, the results of which revealed potential risks of illegal use of humanitarian aid in the total amount of UAH 171.78 million. This is about the Ministry of Defense reported on the official website.
According to the data of the State Customs Service, for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 424 vehicles, 476.23 tons of goods of various names without specifying the value, as well as 6.2 tons of food products and plastic granules were passed through customs control.
However, the Ministry of Defense could not confirm the fact that military units received this nomenclature. In this regard, the Ministry has sent appropriate notifications to law enforcement agencies to assess the legality of the actions of individual officials who may be involved in illegal enrichment, appropriation of property, and abuse of office. An investigation is currently underway into these facts.
According to Colonel Oleksandr Tytkovskyi, acting director of the Department of Internal Audit of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, effective interaction between the Ministry of Defense and the State Customs Service plays a key role not only in quickly receiving critical assistance, but also in detecting and preventing possible customs violations. He emphasized that the Ministry of Defense highly appreciates promptness in the passage of military and humanitarian aid across the border for needs
Armed forces of Ukraine during martial law. He emphasized that their task is to ensure the delivery of every element of aid, from thermal imagers to vehicles provided by volunteers and international partners, directly to Ukrainian defenders on the front lines. To this end, the Ministry will continue to improve control and reporting mechanisms to ensure transparency and efficiency in the use of humanitarian aid.
It is worth reminding that the Ministry of Defense closely cooperates with the State Customs Service, which made it possible to ensure proper control mechanisms for the arrival of humanitarian goods to military units. This, in turn, provides an opportunity for prompt exchange of information regarding confirmation of receipt of such goods by military formations and identification of risky customs clearances.
