---
title: "\"Sonderstab Ukraine\": the secret team inside Germany's Defense Ministry that closes weapons contracts for Kyiv in two weeks"
description: "The Financial Times has revealed the work of the \"Sonderstab Ukraine\" — a closed team inside Germany's Defense Ministry that closes weapons contracts for Kyiv in two weeks and is responsible for €11.5 billion in annual aid."
date: 2026-09-15T12:02:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-special-staff-german-defense-ministry-weapons-kyiv
tags: [germany, ukraine, military-aid, bundeswehr, weapons-supply, defense-policy, ft-report]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "Sonderstab Ukraine": the secret team inside Germany's Defense Ministry that closes weapons contracts for Kyiv in two weeks

![German Federal Ministry of Defence building in Berlin in winter, home of the secret 'Sonderstab Ukraine' weapons procurement team](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/15/zondershtab-ukraina-minoborony-germanii-oruzhie-kiyev/zondershtab-ukraina-minoborony-germanii-oruzhie-kiyev-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- The "Sonderstab Ukraine" inside Germany's Defense Ministry is able to close weapons supply contracts for Kyiv in two weeks thanks to a legal structure in which Ukraine signs the contracts and Berlin pays the invoice
- The unit is responsible for €11.5 billion in annual military aid; Germany's total spending on arming Ukraine has reached around €58 billion
- Over the past year the "Sonderstab" has been transforming into a platform for exchanging combat experience between German and Ukrainian military personnel
- The practice of handing control over the distribution of funds to Kyiv has sparked debate over corruption risks, although the unit's head Kasche insists on thorough verification of contracts

In the most heavily secured wing of the German Ministry of Defence — access to which is restricted even for senior officials of the ministry — a small team known as "Sonderstab Ukraine" ("Ukraine Special Staff") has been operating for years. It is this unit that stands behind the €11.5 billion in annual military aid to Kyiv and is capable of concluding weapons supply agreements within two weeks. This is reported by the Financial Times, citing several sources close to the unit. The team is so closed off that its head had to speak with FT journalists from an office outside the secured wing. Some of those familiar with the work of the "Sonderstab" call it a "partisan unit," and one source described the team as "incredibly un-German" — too atypical for the large bureaucratic machinery of the Federal Republic of Germany.

### From situation center to operational structure

The "Sonderstab Ukraine" emerged several months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Initially it functioned as a situation center, monitoring the course of combat operations and informing the political leadership of Germany. From July 2022 onward, the unit evolved into a separate structure with its own mandate. It is headed by Brigadier General Joachim Kasche, a former Tornado fighter pilot. In his words, the unit's phenomenal speed is explained by "extremely short decision-making chains," which give the team flexibility and agility, allowing it to bypass the labyrinth of procurement procedures and the 13,000-strong agency responsible for procurement for the Bundeswehr itself.

### A legal construct that changes the rules

The key factor behind the "Sonderstab's" speed is the legal structure of the contracts: they are signed not by the German government but by Ukraine itself, while Berlin merely pays the invoice. This is precisely what allows the unit to bypass the standard procurement procedures that slow down supplies for Germany's own armed forces. According to Kasche, it is this model that enables deals to purchase weapons for Ukraine to be concluded in some cases in as little as two weeks. Reserve officer Matthias Puschnig, who worked in the "Sonderstab" for the past three years, points out that in Berlin the effectiveness of this approach was first recognized after the episode involving Quantum Systems reconnaissance drones, which Ukraine connected to Starlink and used to identify targets during the fighting for Siverskyi Donets in the spring of 2022. "That was the first time we understood why the Ukrainians had been successful — because they were doing things like that," Puschnig recalls. After that, Germany shifted from transferring equipment from its own stockpiles to purchasing weapons directly from Ukrainian and German manufacturers based on a list drawn up by Kyiv itself.

### From five thousand helmets to €58 billion

Germany's aid to Ukraine has not always been decisive. On the eve of the invasion, Berlin faced a wave of criticism for offering to hand over just 5,000 protective helmets to Kyiv. However, the full-scale war and pressure from allies forced Germany to abandon its long-standing policy of not supplying weapons to conflict zones. It was the "Sonderstab" that paid Kyiv for the first IRIS-T air defense system made by Diehl, which subsequently, together with American Patriot systems, became a key element in defending Ukrainian cities — and was even ordered by the Bundeswehr itself for its own needs. Last year, after U.S. military aid was cut under President Donald Trump, Berlin became the largest supplier of weapons to Kyiv, having already spent around €58 billion on armaments.

### A new role: a platform for exchanging experience

Over the past year, the function of the "Sonderstab" has been transforming again. The unit is increasingly becoming a platform for exchanging experience between German and Ukrainian military personnel and the defense industry. Kasche emphasizes the "wealth of tactical and operational experience" of Ukraine. Unlike Britain, Germany does not keep its own military personnel on Ukrainian territory. Instead, the more cautious Bundeswehr invites dozens of Ukrainian military personnel to Germany to share combat experience in the use of drones and countermeasures against them, and gains access to data from the Ukrainian Delta system. The agreements on mutual defense cooperation signed this year by Chancellor Friedrich Merz and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Berlin opened NATO markets to Ukrainian companies, which has caused concern in part of the German defense sector.

### Contradictory data

The practice in which Kyiv independently decides how to spend German funds raises concerns about corruption risks. On the one hand, a number of observers point out that handing full control over the distribution of funds to the Ukrainian side creates fertile ground for abuses. On the other hand, Kasche insists that the "Sonderstab" team carefully verifies all contracts, checking prices against market rates and setting strict delivery schedules. Thus, the question of whether corruption risks exist or not remains a matter of debate: formal control mechanisms do exist, but their adequacy at a scale of €11.5 billion per year and a two-week closing speed raises questions among some experts. Moreover, the access of Ukrainian companies to NATO markets, ensured by the Berlin agreements, is viewed simultaneously as a strategic victory in integrating the Ukrainian defense industry and as a threat to the competitiveness of the German defense sector.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Secret "Sonderstab" of Germany's Defense Ministry can deliver weapons to Ukraine within two weeks, - FT](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/taemniy-zondershtab-minoboroni-nimechchini-1789473540.html) - Единственный источник, перепечатка расследования Financial Times. Все ключевые факты (11,5 млрд евро, 58 млрд евро, две недели на контракт, Кашке, Пушниг, Quantum Systems, IRIS-T, Мерц, Вадефуль) изложены последовательно. Анонимные источники снижают уровень верификации, но внутренняя непротиворечивость высокая.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What is the "Sonderstab Ukraine" and where is it located?
**A:** It is a closed unit of the German Ministry of Defence, operating in the most heavily secured wing of the ministry. The team handles the coordination of military aid to Ukraine, the conclusion of weapons supply contracts, and the exchange of experience between German and Ukrainian military personnel.

### Q: How does the "Sonderstab" manage to close contracts in two weeks?
**A:** The key reason is the legal structure: the contracts are signed not by the German government but by Ukraine itself, while Berlin merely pays the invoice. This allows it to bypass the Bundeswehr's standard procurement procedures and use short decision-making chains.

### Q: How much has Germany spent on military aid to Ukraine?
**A:** According to the FT, the annual volume of aid is €11.5 billion, and total spending on arming Ukraine has reached around €58 billion. After U.S. aid was cut, Berlin became the largest supplier of weapons to Kyiv.

### Q: Are there corruption risks under this aid model?
**A:** The practice of handing control over the distribution of funds to Kyiv raises concerns among some observers. However, the head of the "Sonderstab," General Kasche, insists that all contracts are thoroughly checked, prices are verified against market rates, and delivery schedules are set strictly.