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What Secret Audits Tell Us About How Ukraine’s Military Is Spending Its Money

The documents amount to an autopsy of the weapons-contracting process.

© David Guttenfelder/The New York Times

Ukrainian soldiers from the 14th Mechanized Brigade firing a Grad multiple rocket launcher toward a Russian position near Kupiansk, Ukraine, in 2023.
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In Ukraine, Fraud and Waste Are Rewarded With More Weapons Contracts

Secret military audits reveal a military procurement system riddled with mismanagement. In 2024 alone, Ukraine lost $1.2 billion to fraud and waste.

© Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

Ukrainian soldiers firing a mortar toward Russian positions on the outskirts of Kupiansk, Ukraine, last year.
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Arms and the £5m man: Farage megadonor Christopher Harborne’s military empire

Reform UK denies donor and crypto-billionaire’s global interests in arms and military could present a conflict of interest over its defence spending policy

As he struggles with questions about the millions he has received from the billionaire Christopher Harborne, Nigel Farage has made no secret of his enthusiastic support for the industry that made part of his benefactor’s fortune – cryptocurrency. The Reform UK leader even urged the governor of the Bank of England to drop a crypto policy that may be costly for Harborne.

But another element of Harborne’s business interests could prove still more consequential if it shapes Farage’s positions. There appears to be no precedent for a major UK donor who is so entwined with the military.

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© Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/ South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images/LNP

© Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/ South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images/LNP

© Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/ South Korean Defence Ministry/AFP/Getty Images/LNP

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