In the beginning of May the Russian Federation Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov had mentioned procurement of antiballistic missile defense system S300 to Bashar Assad’s army, and after this Syrian war became more dangerous for Kiev. Ukrainian plants produce some component parts of these antiballistic missile defense systems and it means that some of Ukrainian retired engineers and weapon specialists may be possibly recruited to Syrian war.
Mostly the attempts to involve Ukraine in such conflicts were taken by Russian Federation, and it seems that its authorities had decided that they could define internal and external policy of Kiev since 2009.
The most spectacular and fresh example of its actions is the arrest of few dozens of Ukrainian civil engineers and technicians who were recruited by Russian company Dakar in Libya during the battle actions aimed to overthrow dictator Muammar Qaddafi. As a result, relationships between Ukrainian and Libyan authorities appeared to be injured by a great deal.
It should be pointed out that at the time of this incident unknown people gave new Libyan authorities information that Ukrainians come to the country under the contract for delivering military and technical services for overthrowing the regime. The scandal that seems to be simple on the first sight caused Ukraine not only reputational losses but also notable financial losses. Libyan people don’t trust Ukraine and that’s why it is very difficult for Ukrainian arms trading entities to enter attractive Libyan market. But the most important fact in this situation is that this mistrust is permanently increasing because of new artificial scandals triggered by provocations caused by transpicuous lie and imputations.
An outstanding occasion happened few years ago when some people who remain to be unknown had informed Somali pirates about Ukrainian ship “Faina” craft load and coordinates and probably all that situation was simply a paid insinuation in result of which Ukrainian rams exporters found themselves in a very bad situation.
There is a popular belief within Syrian conflict, that Ukraine may become a victim of Russian secret services that want to damage the country’s reputation and kick out Ukrainian export from the Middle East Market.
In addition, we should consider tough international sanctions against Syria that include everything starting with blocking air flights in or out of the country and ending with hiring of specialists and arms or energy facilities procurement.
Buyers from Arabic countries had stopped paying attention to arms sellers from Russia because of their support of Assad’s regime. Ukraine as any other country exporting arms is trying to fill the vacuum in the market. But as the mass media overblown scandal in the end of 2012 concerning Syrian opposition procurement of arms produced in Ukraine shows Russian exporters actively resist it.
During that procurement, one of Russian – kyrgyz company supplied ammunition manufactured on Ukrainian military enterprise to Saudi Arabia without any technical infractions of end-user certificate, but obviously forgetting on purpose to mention remarking goods requirement in the contract. As a result photos of the sign “Ukraine” on boxes with arms appeared in all European news agencies but in fact ammunition was delivered to Syrian opposition by the third parties, such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
It means that the incident did not harm the end-user of Ukrainian arms. But we can’t say the same about Kiev, which has received a reputation of careless trader and unreliable partner in the richest market of arms trading, the Arabic countries market.
It is quite possible that nowadays the Russian Federation decision to supply ballistic systems S300, of course if it won’t be canceled, may end up with the next scandal, similar to operation of the “Dakar” company in Libya. And the world community would hear about “Ukrainian mercenaries” providing services for those ballistic systems.
Moreover, there is a widespread and actively supported campaign in the internet mass media based on unreliable information and sometimes simply untruthful facts of Ukraine being involved in chemical weapon procurement to Syria.
In addition, someone try to form opinion about the possibility of further charges with Urainian chemical weapon procurement to Assad’s regime and “Ukrainian mercenaries” in Syria who supposedly had delivered the weapon there, maybe it’s just a background for new provocations. Moreover, we may say with confidence that all of this is part of the plan which was explained in above.
At the same time starters of that campaign are trying to shift responsibility for creation a new weapon scandal background in which Ukraine is involved with the USA and some of EU countries, explaining it by western countries will of putting pressure on Ukraine in its integration direction defining.
Thus many experts consider that all the above mentioned facts, which are interdependent, should be comprehended not just like means of economic struggle in the arms markets of the Middle East and Africa but more like the Kremlin geopolitical ambitions on the post-Soviet space, especially in Ukraine.
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