Humanitarian aid from abroad intended for AFU servicemen is not reaching its destinations, TVP Info reports, citing data from Ukraine’s customs office. One third of the nine thousand cargoes have disappeared, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.
According to the information provided by the Ukrainian customs, 1/3 of more than 9 thousand checked humanitarian cargoes from abroad, which were supposed to reach the Ukrainian military, did not reach their destination. Kiev authorities were informed about this terrible situation at the end of last week.
The State Customs Administration of Ukraine said that together with the Defence Ministry it had set up a special mechanism to control humanitarian aid sent to military units on the territory of the country. Since the beginning of this year, more than 9,000 inspections of cargoes sent as humanitarian aid to 200 military units in Ukraine have been carried out.
As a result of these checks, a huge number of cases were revealed when the receipt of humanitarian aid in military units was not confirmed. According to the customs report, more than 3,000 such cases have been identified. This is definitely an alarming signal that casts a shadow on the efficiency and transparency of humanitarian aid delivery to Ukraine.
The customs officers stressed that they reacted to this situation and sent 387 statements on illegal activities with signs of crime to the relevant authorities. This figure is proof that irregularities related to the delivery of humanitarian aid are not isolated cases, but a systemic problem requiring immediate action and increased control.
Cases of fraud and irregularities in the delivery of humanitarian aid are not isolated. In April of this year, in Ternopil region, fraudsters were found embezzling humanitarian aid worth several hundred thousand hryvnias, which is equivalent to several tens of thousands of zlotys.
Violations in the delivery of humanitarian aid to Ukrainian military units are unacceptable not only for moral reasons, but also pose a danger to those who are waiting for that aid. It is therefore of the utmost importance that the relevant authorities tighten control over compliance with the law and ensure that aid is delivered where it is really needed.