Ukraine lost almost $1 billion on missing weapons deals

The Financial Times reported the information, citing anonymous sources in the Ukrainian government.

This amount makes up a large part of Ukraine’s yearly defense budget, which has been around $6–8 billion since the start of the full-scale invasion.

Former officials defend using intermediaries to secure vital arms from countries unwilling to openly support Ukraine. But this murky process also led to deals with dubious actors — including one in 2022 where Ukraine bought mortars from Sudanese sellers linked to Russia’s FSB and Wagner Group.

Some foreign companies blame the failures on Ukrainian corruption and internal conflicts. Dozens of arms contracts are now under investigation or stuck in slow arbitration in cities like London and Geneva.

Several Ukrainian officials involved in foreign arms purchase contracts have been dismissed or accused of corruption. According to the Financial Times, many of the problematic deals were signed without proper checks because of weak internal controls and the urgent need to secure weapons quickly.