(U) Review of the Kyiv Transit Platform | department of State OIG

 

(U) Review of the Kyiv Transit Platform 04/30/2024 10:30 AM EDT (U) Summary of Review (SBU) Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, [redacted].  In June 2023, Embassy Kyiv and Mission Poland1 concluded a memorandum of understanding (MOU)2 that described the functions of the jointly administered temporary support platform and the respective roles and responsibilities of Embassy Kyiv and Mission Poland in providing operational and management support to Embassy Kyiv in Poland. In August 2023, the platform, now called the Kyiv Transit Platform (KTP), moved from Rzeszow to Consulate General Krakow. (U) The Office of Inspector General (OIG) examined the KTP’s operational effectiveness, assessed security and accountability issues, and reviewed the coordination between Embassy Kyiv and Mission Poland as outlined in the June 2023 MOU. This report includes a classified annex that discusses security and accountability issues related to the KTP. Concurrent with this review, OIG also inspected Mission Poland.3  (U) With respect to operational effectiveness, OIG found the KTP generally operated in accordance with Department of State (Department) standards, with a few exceptions.  The KTP lacked a standard operating procedure that documented the KTP’s roles and responsibilities, including transit logistics. This reduced the KTP’s efficiency and created risks that critical responsibilities such as managing the safe transit of staff to Ukraine would not be carried out effectively.  Furthermore, the KTP’s position descriptions for two recently filled locally employed (LE) staff positions did not accurately reflect their responsibilities or list the correct supervisory chain of command.  Inaccurate position descriptions can directly affect LE staff’s level of compensation.  The KTP also did not dispose and archive its records as required by Department standards.  The KTP began to address the deficiencies related to standard operating procedures and records management during the review. (SBU) In the area of security and accountability, OIG found [redacted]. (U) Finally, regarding coordination, OIG found the Department, Embassy Kyiv, Embassy Warsaw, Consulate General Krakow, and the KTP had established constructive working relationships to further joint goals related to the transit of U.S. government official visitors and staff to Ukraine.  However, the June 2023 MOU between Embassy Kyiv and Mission Poland was outdated and did not reflect the current operating environment of the KTP.  After OIG identified the issue, Embassy Kyiv and Mission Poland in January 2024 amended the MOU to reflect the current operating environment.  (U) This report contains two recommendations. In its comments on the draft report, Embassy Warsaw agreed with one recommendation and disagreed with the other recommendation. OIG considers both recommendations resolved. The embassy’s response to each recommendation and OIG’s reply can be found in the Recommendations section of this report. The embassy’s formal written response is reprinted in its entirety in Appendix C.   1 (U) The U.S. diplomatic mission to Poland consists of Embassy Warsaw and Consulate General Krakow. 2 (U) Department of State, “Memorandum of Understanding Between the U.S. Mission to Ukraine and the U.S. Mission to Poland Regarding the Mission Ukraine Transit Center (MUTC),” June 20, 2023. 3 (U) OIG, Inspection of Embassy Warsaw and Constituent Post, Poland (ISP-I-24-18, report not yet released).