Phase I of the project, implemented from 4 September 2018 to 31 December 2024, was launched in response to Ukrainian authorities’ request for support in combating illicit trafficking and proliferation of weapons, ammunition and explosives (WAE). Illicit WAE movement poses significant security risks to OSCE participating States, undermining stability, border security, and efforts to counter organized crime and terrorism. The OSCE engagement was based on the findings of the 2017–2018 needs assessment, which identified gaps in human and technical resources, legislation, and inter-agency coordination. In close cooperation with Ukrainian authorities, the OSCE prepared four complementary projects to strengthen national capacities, aligned with the EU Strategy against illicit firearms and SALW. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the war, and the closure of OSCE field operations, programmatic activities were successfully transitioned to the Secretariat and continued with donor support.

Throughout Phase I, the project contributed to strengthening Ukraine’s ability to prevent and combat illicit WAE trafficking. Authorities enhanced their operational and analytical capacities, supported by OSCE-designed legislative, forensic, detection and investigative training programmes. A total of 340 representatives of the MIA, NPU, SBGS and SCS received specialized training, including in detection, EOD, K9, and criminal analysis. Cooperation with the Spanish Civil Guard enabled eight SBGS and SCS instructors to complete a four-month WAE detection dog training course, adopting best practices aligned with Frontex standards. Despite the ongoing war, tangible progress was made toward strengthening national safety and security frameworks under Phase I.

Project beneficiaries strengthened their skills in designing information-based public awareness campaigns, supported by training and findings from the 2022 nationwide opinion poll. Their technical capacity to detect and counter illicit WAE trafficking improved through OSCE equipment donations worth EUR 3.15 million, including vehicles and specialized detection, EOD, K9 and ICT equipment. Beneficiaries also advanced their expertise in establishing coordination mechanisms through the development of a Road Map and legislative act for creating the Co-ordination Center, launched in July 2024. A Matrix of international partners, developed with EMPACT Firearms, further enhanced information exchange and coordination of SALW control efforts.

As a result, project Results 1, 4 and 5 were successfully achieved during Phase I: strengthened project management and oversight; improved legislative mechanisms and public awareness on WAE-related risks; and enhanced inter-agency coordination through the establishment of the Co-ordination Center and international partner Matrix. Results 2, 3, 6 and 7 were partially implemented and are proposed for continuation and further development under Phase II.

The first OSCE needs assessment (2017–2018), initiated at the request of the State Border Guard Service, established the baseline for strengthening Ukraine’s capacity to combat illicit trafficking of weapons, ammunition and explosives (WAE). Conducted over three months, it examined legislation, record-keeping, detection capacities and international cooperation, revealing major gaps: insufficient human and technical resources, unclear regulatory mandates, weak inter-agency coordination, and limited ability to detect illicit WAE at borders. The assessment also highlighted serious risks — WAE proliferation across borders, diversion from state and non-state stockpiles, criminal misuse, theft from storage sites, and low accountability. Following the full-scale war in 2022, these risks intensified, and Ukrainian authorities (MIA, NPU, SBGS, SCS, later SSU) reaffirmed the urgent need for continued OSCE support. An independent evaluation in 2022 concluded that the programme was “highly relevant,” noting long-standing gaps in Ukraine’s WAE control system and predicting increased urgency due to wartime weapons influx.

In response, and based on findings of the second needs assessment, the OSCE developed a comprehensive multi-stakeholder Phase II project designed to address evolving priorities and security realities. The project reflects a whole-of-government approach: supporting MIA in supervisory, coordination and legislative functions; strengthening NPU and SSU in inland detection, seizure and investigations; and enhancing SBGS and SCS border detection and interdiction capacities. The OSCE CPC/FSC SU will implement the project in partnership with the OSCE Border Security and Management Unit and in coordination with the OSCE Support Programme for Ukraine. Cooperation with international partners including Frontex, EMPACT Firearms, EUAM, UNODC and Europol — will expand work on K9 development, legal and regulatory reforms, and investigative capacity building. Phase II aligns with OSCE SALW commitments, the OSCE Border Management Concept, and global goals such as SDG 16 (violence and illicit flows reduction) and SDG 5 (gender equality), aiming to strengthen Ukraine’s national system to prevent and combat illicit WAE trafficking in all its aspects beyond 2024. The project is required to address identified systemic capacity gaps in Ukraine’s WAE control framework across legislative, operational, coordination and border-management functions that significantly intensified by the ongoing war, to ensure an effective, whole-of-government response to preventing and combating illicit trafficking and proliferation of WAE.