From August 5 to 8, the CENSS team worked alongside the Small Arms Survey (SAS) team from Switzerland in Kyiv. We have been collaborating with them for many years. Since 2023, together, we have been implementing the project “Supporting Ukraine in Countering the Risks of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation as a Result of Russia’s Aggressive War.”
The delegation from our partners included SAS Director Mark Dowens, Nicolas Florkin, Project Director of “Supporting Ukraine in Countering the Risks of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation as a Result of Russia’s Aggressive War,” and the project coordinator from SAS, Alin Shaban.
As a reminder, Small Arms Survey is a partner of CENSS in implementing the project “Supporting Ukraine in Countering the Risks of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation as a Result of Russia’s Aggressive War,” which runs from 2023 to 2025 with funding from the German government.
During the working week, the SAS delegation, along with the CENSS team, had a busy schedule. The week was dedicated to discussing the interim results of the joint project on the illegal circulation of weapons and future potential activities between SAS, CENSS, and other partners in Ukraine.
In particular, during the visit, the partners held a strategic session to discuss further activities between CENSS and SAS, as well as the prospects for expanding and continuing the project.
In addition, several productive meetings were held during the visit:
- With Nick Bray, an advisor from Norwegian People’s Aid, during which Viktoria Voronina, Executive Director of CENSS, discussed the situation regarding the illegal circulation of weapons in communities and how local government representatives perceive the issue of illegal weapon circulation.
- With the leadership of the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine, who were introduced to the work of CENSS and SAS within the framework of the project.
- With representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
- With representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where the potential for cooperation in countering the illegal circulation of weapons, particularly among civilians, was discussed. Special attention was paid to issues of personal safety, public security, and gun culture. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also shared its strategic vision for addressing this negative phenomenon, including the development of conceptual documents on countering illegal weapon circulation and promoting responsible gun ownership among civilians.
- With representatives from several embassies in Ukraine.
- With representatives from Kyiv National University named after T. Shevchenko, where potential ways of cooperation with faculty members and opportunities for engaging students in combating the illegal circulation of weapons were discussed. This includes organizing competitions, creative work submissions, and lectures with the involvement of international experts.
- An important meeting also took place at the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, where representatives of CENSS and SAS were introduced to the institute’s work. They discussed how ballistic expertise could help in preventing or overcoming the flow of weapons beyond Ukraine’s borders, as well as the issue of weapon registration within the country. During the visit, the institute’s capabilities were demonstrated, including special equipment, and a demonstration of ammunition identification expertise was conducted.
An important event during the visit was a briefing for more than 30 representatives of EU member states at the EU Mission Office in Ukraine. During the event, reports prepared by the project team from both the Swiss and Ukrainian sides were presented. These reports included information on the illegal circulation of Western-made weapons, the situation of illegal weapon circulation in communities, assessments of community needs, the perception of local government representatives regarding the issue of illegal weapon circulation, and the specifics of their interaction with the security and defense sector.
On the final day of the in-person collaboration in Kyiv, the CENSS and SAS teams participated in another meeting of the Ukrainian Professional Network on the project of illegal weapon circulation. During the session, the first results of the microgrant program, which was launched as part of the project in April 2024, were presented. Network experts actively discussed the research results, as well as future plans, and received valuable recommendations for improving reports and disseminating materials developed within the framework of the project.