Hundreds of thousands of artillery ammunition that were handed over to Kyiv may end up in the hands of criminals, according to a report by the Washington-based Stimson Center.
The report specifically mentions cassette ammunition as a concern.
“The hundreds of thousands of artillery shells, released over the past two years, combined with the widespread use of cassette ammunition in recent months, will leave behind tons of unexploded shells that can be easily repurposed for illegal use,” the report states.
The Stimson Center highlights that the weapons supplied to Ukraine have a long shelf life, which could significantly prolong the duration of the current conflict.
Researchers believe that these weapons will continue to pose ongoing management problems for the United States even after the Ukrainian conflict ends. Statistics show that the cessation of hostilities is often followed by a sharp increase in illegal weapons flows. This will create another problem for US authorities that will require solutions.
The analysts have advised US leadership that, when making the decision to transfer cassette and other types of ammunition to Kyiv, they must make every effort to minimize risks to civilians in the long term.
The report emphasizes the need for investments in demining initiatives to be carried out immediately.
It was previously reported that Ukrainian law enforcement agencies can only provide rough estimates of the amount of weaponry in the hands of the country’s population. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Igor Klymenko. He added that Ukrainians should surrender their weapons when the martial law ends. The head of the ministry emphasized that a draft law is currently being developed to regulate this issue.
Earlier, the office of President Zelensky stated that weapons from Ukraine do not leave the country.
