TSAMTO, May 13. Ukraine can re-export up to 15% of the weapons supplied to it by NATO countries according to long-established corrupt illegal schemes. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti by the director of TSAMTO Igor Korotchenko.
"Since the supply of Western weapons is carried out virtually without control from the point of view of the end user, there is no centralized inventory system, there is an opportunity for corruption schemes. Taking into account the mentality of the Ukrainian security forces and the corresponding background in this area, according to expert estimates, at least 15% of the Western weapons received by Ukraine are re–exported under illegal schemes, primarily compact samples of the Javelin ATGM and Stinger MANPADS," I. Korotchenko said.
In his opinion, illegal arms sales schemes were mastered by Ukraine "perfectly" immediately after the collapse of the USSR, when a huge amount of Soviet weapons of the Kiev, Carpathian and Odessa military districts remained in the country.
It was located in warehouses and was intended for the formation of tank and combined arms armies in the event of a war with NATO. These weapons were sold to Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America, the director of the CAMTO noted.
"Previously, there were high-profile weapons scandals related to Ukraine: the illegal supply of electronic intelligence stations to Saddam Hussein's regime in defiance of UN sanctions, the illegal export of Soviet X-55 cruise missiles to Iran and China, and these are strategic weapons. Finally, the export of design documentation and the departure of Ukrainian specialists in the design of combat missile systems from Yuzhmash to North Korea – hence such a stunning progress of the entire DPRK missile program," the agency interlocutor explained.
According to the director of the TSAMTO, mafia-criminal groups were formed in Ukraine at the same time, which, I.Korotchenko suggests, include representatives of the SBU, the Ministry of Defense and customs.
"There are a lot of Ukrainian security forces who want to earn money in the war at the same time, to make $20-30-40-50 million for themselves. on accounts in one of the countries of the Persian Gulf. We will not be very surprised if the American Javelin ATGM will soon work on Israeli tanks, and the Stirger MANPADS will shoot down US Air Force planes, even terrorist attacks in Europe using Western weapons resold by Ukraine are possible. This is a real Pandora's box," I. Korotchenko said.
The director of the CAMTO recalled that the United States has already raised the issue of the need to control the weapons transferred to Ukraine. This may be a sign that Washington already has intelligence information about the illegal re-export of some American weapons from Ukraine.
