Security sector governance in Ukraine: Lessons, general principles and progress

Security sector governance (SSG) in Ukraine: International lessons, general principles and Ukraine’s post-2014 progress.

Contributors: Sarah Detzner, Polina Beliakova, and Radmila Šekerinska

This policy brief reviews general principles and lessons internationally from successful SSR in the context of considering the challenges facing Ukraine, in the form of a non-verbatim summary of presentations at a recent private seminar organised by PeaceRep’s Ukraine team.

Key questions

• How do we assess the key general principles of SSG (civilian control, civic scrutiny) and their potential application in Ukraine’s specific, challenging circumstances?
• How do we assess progress with SSG since 2014?
• How do we assess the response of Ukrainian security sector to the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022?
• What are the downstream risks / challenges?
• What should be the vision for Ukraine’s SSG in the short, medium and long-term? What role could external actors play in this vision?