Russian special services thwart attempt to smuggle S-300 and Buk-M1 electronic units into Ukraine
MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax) - Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) reports that an attempt was disrupted to smuggle electronic units for S-300 and Buk-M1 air defense missile systems disguised as air conditioners into Ukraine.
"On December 17, 2014, in Moscow, the FSB of Russia disrupted the activities of Ukrainian citizen Denys Olehovych Danchenko, who intended to obtain electronic units for S-300 and Buk-M1 air defense missile systems, the information on which is a state secret, circumventing the established procedure and to deliver them to the territory of Ukraine disguised as air conditioners. After his detention, Danchenko fully admitted to his plot," an FSB spokesman told Interfax on Tuesday.
The activities of this foreign citizen were disrupted at a stage by which no damage had been caused to Russia's security, and the Ukrainian was given an official warning by Russia's security services and was expelled from Russia, the spokesman said.
"In 2014, the FSB of Russia has repeatedly registered attempts of certain Ukrainian citizens acting in the interests of the state-controlled Nebo Ukrainy corporation [based in Kyiv] who tried to illegally obtain components of S-300 and Buk-M1 air defense missile systems in Russian territory and smuggle them into Ukraine," he said.
Today, the Nebo Ukrainy corporation is headed by Volodymyr Tkachev, who commanded the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Air Defense Forces in October 2001, when Russia's Tupolev Tu-154 commercial flight was shot down over the Black Sea, killing 66 passengers and 12 crewmembers, the spokesman said.
