‘Significant Portion’ Of UK Lethal Aid For Ukraine Stays Secret

“A significant proportion of our lethal aid [for Ukraine] is procured overseas and for both operational and commercial reasons, the detail of these contracts will not be published,” the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has told parliament.

The announcement raises suspicion that Britain is sending more controversial weaponry to Ukraine that it does not want made public. Declassified first reported last week that the UK was sending ammunition containing depleted uranium to Ukraine. Vladimir Putin, Russian president, responded by announcing he would station tactical nuclear weapons in neighboring Belarus. 

The MoD said the only contracts it will publish will be those with British companies for equipment replenishing existing stockpiles. 

It is unclear which foreign companies the government does not want to reveal its contracts with—or what weapons systems they are for.

The UK provided £2.4bn in military equipment to Ukraine in 2022 – more than any country other than the United States. It has committed to providing the same amount in 2023.

The UK has supplied 10,000 anti-tank weapons, including 5,500 NLAWs, which are designed by Saab in Sweden and made by French arms manufacturer Thales in Belfast. The UK has also provided Javelin and Brimstone missiles. 

UK lethal aid to Ukraine has also included thousands of surface to air missiles including Starstreak, again produced by Thales. 

“The UK arms export regime is defined by a chronic lack of transparency,” Katie Fallon, advocacy manager at Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), told Declassified. 

“That the public might never know how a large part of the weaponry budgeted for Ukraine is being spent, not only raises the risk of corruption, profiteering and procurement of inappropriate equipment, but it also reduces the ability of the UK public to provide badly needed scrutiny of government actions taken in their name.”

Read the rest of the report at Declassified UK…