The administration of US President Joe Biden is turning to the blockchain and other tech-based solutions amid mounting calls for oversight of over $50 billion in aid pledged to Ukraine this year, according to a State Department cable seen by Politico on Wednesday.
Reportedly signed by the US Ambassador to Kiev, Bridget Brink, on September 6, the nine-page “sensitive but unclassified” document laments that “kinetic activity and active combat between Ukrainian and Russian forces creates an environment in which standard verification measures are sometimes impracticable or impossible.”
The State Department declined to comment on the document’s contents, merely stating that it “takes very seriously our responsibility to ensure appropriate oversight of all US assistance.”
Washington’s options for imposing order on uncontrollable spending in Ukraine reportedly include “a commercial smartphone app that uploads all photo and video media onto a blockchain at the point of capture,” delegating equipment inspections to the Ukrainian military in the absence of Western contractors willing to work in “high-risk” areas, and requiring photographic proof that aid has been received, especially in “hard to reach areas.” The use of management consultants to “review [and] identify gaps” in oversight was also recommended.