On June 4, together with our partners, Small Arms Survey and the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, we conducted a training session titled “Arms Trade and Ownership: The European Integration Dimension” for members of the Ukrainian professional network of the project.
This event is part of the project “Supporting Ukraine in Countering the Risks of Small Arms and Light Weapons Proliferation Due to Russia’s Aggressive War,” implemented by CENSS in collaboration with Small Arms Survey and funded by the German government.
Sharing new and useful knowledge with a professional community is always a challenge. However, the positive aspect of such events is the exchange of experience and knowledge, as our professional network consists of specialists from various fields related to arms trade. We are pleased that two members of our professional network served as speakers at the event.
During the training, the following topics were discussed:
- Vadym Chernysh, Chairman of the Board of CENSS, and Victoriia Voronina, Executive Director of CENSS, provided an overview of arms trade in the EU countries and Ukraine, analyzing national legislation, EU directives, European integration requirements, and initiatives in the field of countering the illegal arms trade.
- Alexander Kolomiytsev, a member of the project’s professional network and senior researcher at the Forensic Expertise Institute named after Prof. M.S. Bokaryus, made a highly professional comparison of aspects of arms classification under EU and Ukrainian legislation.
- Alina Shaban, an expert from Small Arms Survey, discussed the international experience of establishing national arms registries.
- Olga Merdova, a member of the project’s professional network and Head of the Department of Administrative and Legal Disciplines at Donetsk State University of Internal Affairs, gave a detailed review of the functioning of the Unified State Registry of Firearms in Ukraine, paying special attention to demonstrating its operation.
- Marco Baccini, a program manager at Small Arms Survey, shared Switzerland’s experience with civilian gun ownership.
All participants in the training, whether attending in person or remotely, received certificates of completion. We are incredibly grateful to the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise for their assistance in organizing and conducting the training!
