The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office has confirmed that Ukrainian specialists were involved in servicing air defense systems in Georgia during the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in August 2008, the Segodnya newspaper reported on Friday, referring to a source in law enforcement services.
According to the newspaper, these conclusions were drawn following
the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Office’s efforts to verify reports
calling into question the legality of deliveries of weapons and
military hardware to Georgia.
“During its inquiry, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has
uncovered a number of serious violations that were previously reported
by head of the Verkhovna Rada provisional investigative commission
Valeriy Konovaliuk,” the source told the newspaper.
“It has been confirmed that Ukraine both sold Georgia Buk-M1 air
defense missile systems at a discount price and sent to Georgia a group
of civilian specialists from the town of Balakleya in Kharkiv region to
service these systems, which Georgians used to attack Russian combat
aircraft,” the source said.
“Valeriy Kabanets, Dmytro Pylypchuk, Volodymyr Ponomarenko and other
specialists were present in the territory of Georgia between August 5
and August 13 – before the start of the military conflict with South
Ossetia, during it and after it. They themselves wrote reports
explaining their presence in Georgia,” he said.
“They have denied any involvement in the hostilities. But they have
not denied that they were servicing military hardware. However, only an
investigation at the scene will be able either to prove or disprove
their claims. It [such an investigation] faces serious obstacles. So
does the work of the entire group that has established that air defense
missile systems, as well as other weapons and military hardware were
sold to Georgia at prices eight times or even lower than the official
prices. This inquiry continues, but there are already hints that these
people [group members] could be laid off,” the source said.
According to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office, ten criminal
cases could be opened based on charges of Ukrainian citizens’
involvement in the hostilities in Georgia once permission is received
from Prosecutor General Oleksandr Medvedko.
