dChan - Q Origins Project Archive

from 2005

https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2005-05/ukraine-admits-missile-transfers

Ukrainian officials have acknowledged that a total of 12 Kh-55 medium-range, air-launched cruise missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads were transferred from Ukraine to Iran and China in the last five years. U.S. officials expressed particular concern about the technical information the countries could likely gain as a result of the transaction.

Although the Soviet Union deployed the approximately 3,000-kilometer-range missiles with nuclear warheads, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Dmitry Svistkov told reporters March 30 that the missiles in question were not exported with such warheads.

Ukraine inherited a substantial nuclear arsenal after the breakup of the Soviet Union but later joined the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state. Kiev completed the return of the Soviet-era nuclear weapons in 1996 and has destroyed all of its bombers capable of delivering the Kh-55.

Yuri Boychenko, an aide to Ukraine’s prosecutor-general, Svyatoslav Piskun, told The Los Angeles Times March 18 that the transaction was “a totally illegal deal carried out by an international criminal group.”

The group transferred six of the missiles to China in early 2000 and the other six to Iran in May-June 2001, Svistkov said. Oleksandr Turchynov, head of Ukraine’s Security Service, stated March 31 that his organization prevented the export of an additional eight missiles, the UNIAN News Agency reported.

The Security Service in 2004 discovered the responsible arms dealers, Svistkov added.

Boychenko insisted that the previous Ukrainian government of President Leonid Kuchma “had nothing to do with” the deal. Current Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko took power in January.

But Ukrainian legislator Hryhoriy Omelchenko told the Times that there are documents showing that Kuchma “sanctioned the deals.” Omelchenko brought the issue to public attention several months ago after reportedly disclosing a letter he had submitted both to Yuschenko and Piskun detailing an ongoing investigation into the matter.

The United States began supervising the destruction of Ukrainian nuclear weapons and related delivery systems in the early 1990s. DTRA began assisting Ukraine with destroying the Kh-55 missiles after Kiev requested such assistance in 1997. It is unclear if the missiles transferred to China and Iran were previously counted as part of the total that had been transferred.

U.S. officials publicly downplayed the transaction. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan stated April 14 that Washington “appreciate[s] the action that they [the Ukrainians] are taking to look into that matter” but did not elaborate. Department of State spokesperson Adam Ereli told reporters March 18 that Washington will “work with” Kiev on “measures and joint actions we can take to prevent this kind of proliferation in the future.”