MANAMA: The report examines the transformation of Ukraine’s security sector, mainly its military and paramilitary forces, after 1991. In addition, it zooms in on current challenges surrounding veteran reintegration in detailing broader considerations for Ukraine’s future security sector.
On 24 February 2022, Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, significantly escalating the lower-intensity conflict ongoing in the country’s east since February 2014. The resilience Ukraine displayed during the first months of the invasion surprised many: Kyiv had been expected to fall within days. To understand why Ukraine was able to defend its territory against overwhelming material odds, it is instructive to look back at the development of Ukraine’s security sector. Since 1991, Ukraine’s security sector has undergone a profound transformation in response to transitions, crises and, finally, full-fledged armed conflict. This report, which was finalised as the third year of full-scale Russian aggression draws to a close, discusses the changes to Ukraine’s security sector since its independence from the Soviet Union, specifically examining military and paramilitary forces.
This report details the challenges associated with transforming part of the former Soviet Union’s security apparatus in the framework of a wider transition process. It therefore emphasises the prioritisation of internal over external security threats during the period 1991–2014, which resulted in the deterioration of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s capabilities. Subsequently, it details some of the transformations and reforms implemented in Ukraine’s security sector in response to the multi-level crises in 2014, including the ‘Revolution of Dignity,’ Russia’s annexation of Crimea and Moscow’s aggression in the Donbas. During the subsequent period, reforms focused heavily on increasing the effectiveness of military and paramilitary forces. Moreover, the report outlines the emergence of irregular armed groups, widely known as the volunteer battalions, and their later integration into the formal security sector. In combination, the transformations achieved during this time greatly contributed to Ukraine’s resilience against the full-scale invasion in 2022. It then examines how the lessons learned from lower-intensity conflict in the Donbas, as well as the specific characteristics of the current war, have shaped the Ukrainian security sector since 2022. This includes a broad involvement of different military and paramilitary formations in defence, ranging from the armed forces to border guards, and the strengthening of the territorial-defence system. The report also details the reforms implemented to achieve closer Euro-Atlantic reintegration, including current efforts to transform Ukraine’s law-enforcement sector, as well as increasing cooperation with NATO.
Lastly, the report draws on one specific element of security-sector transformation, namely the reintegration of war veterans in a post-conflict scenario, to illustrate the wider economic, security and institutional considerations for Ukraine’s future security sector. In this regard, it touches on the current shortcomings in the debate around veteran reintegration and outlines the risks that failing to adequately plan for the reintegration of former fighters, as part of a broader transformation of the security sector, bears for Ukraine’s internal and external security. The report therefore calls for more strategic planning and leadership in designing Ukraine’s future security sector.
