The Ukrainian party “Opposition Platform - For Life” (HRE) demanded that the country's central authorities evaluate the top management of Ukroboronprom, which organized an “audit” of a delegation of US military-industrial complex enterprises from the United States. The leadership of the defense concern during an ongoing visit of American specialists from November 11 to 21 could transmit information that constitutes state, military and commercial secrets, suspected of political power.

"The tour of US intelligence representatives on the defense complex facilities is shamefully called by the journalists an" audit ", but in reality it is a successful intelligence operation, prior to gaining full control over the military-industrial complex of Ukraine," the statement said on the HLS website.

The Opposition Platform believes that the general director of the Ukroboronprom concern, Aivaras Abromavicius, should be dismissed immediately. His decision on the admission of Americans to the country's defense enterprises is subject to criminal liability, emphasized in the HRE.

“This order of the head of Ukroboronprom, Aivaras Abromavicius (admission of the US delegation to defense enterprises. - RT ), indicates that Ukraine has completely passed under the control of the United States - not only external strategic, but also operational. An “audit” of the country's military-industrial complex is a direct threat to national security, ”the Opposition Platform believes.

Chinese "expansion"

The other day, the Ukrainian online publication STRANA.Ua published a copy of the internal order of Ukroboronprom, signed by Abromavicius. The document contains instructions on the organization of visits to Ukrainian enterprises by employees of the Institute for Defense Analysis (Institute for Defense Analyses - a division of the Pentagon).

The schedule of the visit of American specialists includes almost all the leading enterprises of the Ukrainian defense industry: Generator, Research Institute Kvant, Kvant-Radolocation, Zhytomyr Armored Plant, Design Bureau Luch, Civil Aviation Plant 410 Civil Aviation, Zhulyansk Engineering Plant Vizar "," Artyom "plant, Kiev Armored Plant, Kharkov plant named after Malysheva, Ukroboronservis, as well as other manufacturing and repair companies.

  • General Director of Ukroboronprom Concern Aivaras Abromavicius (left)
  • Twitter
  • © @aivaras_aivaras

According to published documents, American visitors asked their Ukrainian colleagues to prepare a presentation of plans for the development of production capacities, military-technical cooperation and a possible change in the form of management. Pentagon representatives are also interested in the situation with personnel, equipment, non-core assets and financial indicators of Ukrainian enterprises.

RT sources at Ukroboronprom and the US Embassy in Kiev confirmed the fact of an “audit” by the United States Defense Analysis Institute.

At the same time, the interlocutor of RT in the concern said that Americans are primarily interested in rocket technology, so he does not exclude that information that constitutes state secrets could be transmitted to overseas guests.

Also, a representative of Ukroboronprom said that the "audit" of the American delegation, in his opinion, was caused by the situation around PJSC Motor Sich (Zaporozhye) - one of the flagships of world engine building.

In April 2018, at the request of the SBU, the Shevchenkovsky District Court seized 56% of the shares of the enterprise owned by Chinese investors. Employees of the Security Service of Ukraine believe that foreign individuals and legal entities carry out an indirect concentration of a controlling stake in Motor Sich. As the SBU suspects, shareholders are going to launch their aircraft engine production plant, "to which it is planned to transfer Ukrainian production and transfer technologies."

As Vadim Kozyulin, a professor at the Academy of Military Sciences and senior researcher at the Center for Political Studies of Russia, explained in a conversation with RT, SBU claims are related to China’s activities in importing Motor Sich’s technology, personnel and equipment.

The American media have repeatedly reported Washington’s desire to prevent the consolidation of Motor Sich’s assets in the hands of Chinese citizens and companies. So, at the end of August 2019, this issue was put on the agenda of negotiations of the then US Presidential Advisor on National Security, John Bolton, with the Kiev leadership.

Later, the US Embassy announced that Bolton was discussing with the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC) Alexander Danilyuk (was dismissed from his post in October) "protecting industry from unfair economic behavior" in China.

In response, the Chinese ambassador to Kiev, Du Wei, said that the United States "should not brazenly interfere in the internal and external affairs of Ukraine, as well as require Ukraine to choose between China and the United States."

In early November, The Wall Street Journal reported that negotiations for the acquisition of Motor Sich shares were being held by Eric Prince, the founder of the American private military company Blackwater (since 2009 - Academi). Thus, the United States hopes to prevent the diversion of aircraft engine and gas turbine technology to China.

According to the Chinese news channel Sohu.com, Beijing has already mastered the production technology of the D-18T aircraft turbojet dual-circuit engine. And in the near future, China can get “key technological developments” for the world's largest transport aircraft An-225 Mriya, which was developed within the walls of Antonov Design Bureau in the second half of the 1980s, the publication said.

  • Ukroboronprom stand at one of the international exhibitions
  • © ukroboronprom.com.ua

Between millstones

The interlocutor of RT at the US Embassy in Kiev explained that the purpose of the overseas "audit" is to provide "Ukroboronprom" advisory support in the fight against corruption. He noted that employees of the Institute for Defense Analysis of the United States should help the concern develop an effective strategy for managing defense enterprises.

However, an RT source at Ukroboronprom believes that the overseas delegation is interested in obtaining classified information and restricting military-technical cooperation between Kiev and Beijing. According to him, the United States “was very upset by the sale of Motor Sich to investors from China. Therefore, the Americans "want to ban Ukraine from sharing military technology, especially with the Chinese."

In the OPZh and "Fatherland" described the behavior of Kiev as "surrender of national interests." Politicians are convinced that the leadership of Ukraine and the management of Ukroboronprom should not allow the United States to intervene in the internal affairs of the country.

“I don’t understand why the SBU, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the president and the Armed Forces are silent. In no other country is the admission of foreign specialists to defense enterprises possible. I can’t imagine what the Americans promised in return. But I doubt that they will give a lot of money, ”the interlocutor of RT from the Fatherland party believes.

In turn, Vadim Kozyulin called the stormy emotions of the Ukrainian opposition as demagogy. In his opinion, since 2014, Ukraine has actually turned into a US satellite, and the SBU - into a “CIA branch”.

“I think that the Americans already possess all the necessary information on Ukraine, including secret information. It is possible that the US delegation is now simply trying to understand whether corruption in the Ukrainian defense industry can be reduced, ”the expert suggested.

At the same time, he did not rule out that guests from overseas are eyeing the acquisition of assets.

“True, investors from the States have the ability to artificially ruin purchased foreign defense enterprises, turning satellite countries into markets for their military products,” said Kozyulin.

According to the analyst, if Eric Prince or any other American investor acquires Motor Sich, then the pearl of the Ukrainian defense complex may finally lose the technological competencies that it managed to maintain after the collapse of the USSR.

“A huge blow for Motor Sich was the loss of the Russian market. And now the main problem of the enterprise is a possible takeover by the USA or China. Both that and another does not bode well. Moreover, it is highly likely that Beijing has already sucked out the necessary personnel from this Zaporizhzhya enterprise, and with it the technology. Thus, the Americans could be late with prohibitive measures against China, ”says Kozyulin.

  • Zaporizhzhya enterprise PJSC Motor Sich
  • © Wikimedia

However, the director of the Institute for Peace Initiatives and Conflictology Denis Denisov takes a slightly different point of view. In an interview with RT, the expert said that China continues to have an interest in the engine and aircraft technologies of Ukraine. At the same time, he believes that the situation for the Ukrainian defense industry will be aggravated as geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington increase.

“Ukraine is turning into a field for clarifying relations between the United States and China. Due to the monstrous external pressure, Kiev is not able to make a choice that would be in line with national interests. The Americans are not interested in strengthening the Ukrainian defense industry. Their task is to ensure that Ukraine becomes a sales market and does not transfer technologies that hypothetically can increase the military potential of China, ”concluded Denisov.