Sonderstab Ukraine Accelerates Procurement of German Weapons for Ukraine

A special staff unit, Sonderstab Ukraine, operates within Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense, organizing arms procurement for Ukraine through an expedited procedure and finalizing individual contracts in less than two weeks.

The Financial Times reported on the unit’s activities, describing it as a key mechanism for delivering Germany’s military aid to Ukraine, worth around €11.5 billion annually.

Sonderstab Ukraine, which translates as Special Staff Ukraine, has fewer than 20 employees and operates separately from the Bundeswehr’s standard weapons procurement system.

The unit’s small size and short decision-making chain allow it to move from identifying Ukraine’s needs to signing a contract much faster.

“We have extremely short decision-making chains. This makes us flexible and responsive,” Sonderstab Ukraine head Brig. Gen. Joachim Kaschke explained.

According to the FT, because of its unconventional approach to working within Germany’s bureaucratic system, the publication’s sources have even dubbed Sonderstab Ukraine a ‘guerrilla unit.’

How Procurement for Ukraine Works

An important feature of the staff’s work is its contract arrangement model. The Ukrainian side identifies the required weapons and concludes the relevant contracts, while Germany provides the funding.

As a result, the procurements do not go through the full standard process of Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense and the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), which has around 13,000 employees.

According to the FT, this arrangement allows Sonderstab Ukraine, in some cases, to go from identifying a need to signing a contract in about two weeks.

At the same time, the German side oversees the use of the allocated funds and determines which procurements it can finance.

In July 2026, Sonderstab Ukraine representative Colonel Matthias Puschnig said only nine staff employees are directly involved in managing the €11.5 billion allocated to aid Ukraine. Another four handle political coordination with other countries, while the rest support the staff’s operations.

According to him, Germany initially supplied Ukraine with weapons from Bundeswehr stocks. After available stocks were reduced, it began buying equipment from other countries and financing orders the Ukrainian military placed with German manufacturers.

These areas include unmanned systems, robotics, AI technologies, and air defense systems. One example was the procurement of IRIS-T systems manufactured by Diehl Defence for Ukraine.

From Situation Center to Procurement Staff

The foundation for what would later become Sonderstab Ukraine was created after Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022.

Initially, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defense established a situation center to monitor the course of the war and provide military and political leadership with up-to-date information.

In the first months, its responsibilities were expanded to coordinating practical military support for Ukraine, and in July 2022, the entity was established as Sonderstab Ukraine.

Christian Freuding became its first head and later took command of the German Army.

According to him, in the early stages, the center’s staff worked around the clock in shifts due to the constant need to coordinate aid to Ukraine.

Brigadier General Joachim Kaschke currently heads Sonderstab Ukraine. The German Bundeswehr also involves him in coordinating aid to Ukraine and consulting with the Ukrainian side.

The German side does not disclose the full list of weapons and equipment whose procurement is coordinated by Sonderstab Ukraine. Much of the information about the staff’s operation and specific contracts remains classified.