{"id":62948,"date":"2022-10-27T21:38:16","date_gmt":"2022-10-27T21:38:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2022\/10\/27\/fearing-russian-false-flag-in-ukraine-us-launches-plan-to-track-arms\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:42:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:42:22","slug":"fearing-russian-false-flag-in-ukraine-us-launches-plan-to-track-arms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/pentagon\/2022\/10\/27\/fearing-russian-false-flag-in-ukraine-us-launches-plan-to-track-arms\/","title":{"rendered":"Fearing Russian false flag in Ukraine, US launches plan to track arms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2015 The U.S. State Department released plans<\/a> Thursday to better track weapons supplied to Ukraine<\/a>, voicing fears Russian forces could capture and use them to fabricate an attack by Ukrainian forces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPro-Russian forces\u2019 capture of Ukrainian weapons \u2015 including donated materiel \u2015 has been the main vector of diversion so far and could result in onward transfers,\u201d the plan reads. \u201cRussia probably will also use these weapons to develop countermeasures, propaganda, or to conduct false-flag operations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The warning comes amid Russia\u2019s unfounded claims<\/a> Ukraine is planning to use a \u201cdirty bomb\u201d on its own soil, which U.S. officials see as a potential pretext for Moscow to escalate the war. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has also accused<\/a> Russia of planning to blow up a huge dam near Kherson and blame it on Ukrainians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Russia launched its war in Ukraine eight months ago, the U.S. has been speeding<\/a> more than $17 billion in military aid, from shoulder-fired rockets, howitzers and armored vehicles to advanced air defense systems. U.S. lawmakers and officials in Europe, which is also providing billions in weapons, have in recent weeks stepped up calls for stiffer oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Department is especially concerned about two classes of weapons: man-portable air defense systems, including the thousands of Stinger anti-aircraft missiles<\/a> sent by the U.S., and anti-tank\/all-purpose tactical guided missiles, including thousands of Javelins<\/a> the U.S. sent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The State Department said, as part of the plan, it is working with Kyiv to clear explosive remnants of the war, an activity that would enable \u201con-the-ground accounting for and securing of weapons,\u201d the plan says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs in any conflict, we remain vigilant to the possibility that criminal and non-state actors may attempt to illicitly acquire weapons from sources in Ukraine, including members of the Russian military, during or following the conflict,\u201d State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The one-page plan released Thursday offered a number of actions, some for next year, others for 2024 and beyond \u2014 but few details about how they would be implemented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among other steps in the plan, U.S. embassy personnel in Kyiv would help Ukraine increase weapons tracking. Beyond that, the State Department plans to bolster training for Ukrainian forces on protecting their borders and destroying found weapons and ammunition to deny them to non-state actors and protect civilians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the future, the U.S. also wants to deploy contracted de-mining units to work alongside Kyiv\u2019s forces and train border forces to recognize man-portable air defense systems and anti-tank weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, Ukrainian forces have been keeping small arms and other weapons from ending up on the black market and Ukraine has committed to safeguarding weapons donated by the U.S., but the plan acknowledges \u201cthe chaotic nature of combat can make this difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t