Unified Register of Weapons

In response to the permissive wartime access to firearms and anticipated future firearms proliferation in Ukraine, the Ministry of Internal Affairs launched the Unified Register of Weapons in June 2023 (Ukraine Ministry of Internal Affairs, 2023). This initiative reflects the country’s commitment to improving the monitoring of firearms through the introduction of enhanced digital registration procedures aimed at documenting firearm acquisitions and ensuring effective control over the entire life cycle of firearms.

One year after the register’s launch, the July 2024 survey found no significant improvement in awareness of the register among the general population (Figure 1). Only 30% of Ukrainians had heard of it, but could not explain what it was (a percentage point increase of 4 from December 2023), while an additional 15% claimed to understand its purpose. The majority remained unaware of the registry (54%, a percentage point reduction of 4). Among firearm owners, awareness was higher: 79% were aware of the registry (representing an 18-point increase), with 44% (a 4-point increase) knowing its details, while the remaining 21% were unaware of it. This latter group nearly halved compared to December 2023, when 39% had never heard of the Unified Register of Weapons (Hideg, 2023).

The survey indicates a trend of increased registration of firearms in the register, coinciding with heightened awareness among gun owners (Figure 2). As of July 2024, 63% of firearm-owning households reported having (some of) their weapons recorded in the register, up from 46% in December 2023. Among those who were aware of the register, 74% stated that all their firearms were registered, while approximately 10% reported possessing unregistered firearms.