The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office is investigating the suspected sale of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles to Georgia not long before its conflict with Russia in 2008, Ukrainian paper Segodnia reported on Friday.
Ukraine's former pro-Western government sided with Georgia in its conflict with Russia over the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Segodnia said more than 50 9Ì38Ì1 anti-aircraft missiles for Buk-M1 (SA-11) and Buk-M1-2 (SA-17) missile defense systems were bought by a Russian-Ukrainian private company from Ukrainian state company Ukroboronservis in 2005. The private company did not have a license for such transactions.
The missiles later mysteriously appeared in Georgia and could have been used in the 2008 armed conflict with Russia, the paper said.
Ukraine's deputy prosecutor general, Renat Kuzmin, told Segodnia the missiles were initially bought for $1-1.5 million (some sources say it was $1 million) and later sold back to Ukroboronservis for twice as much.
"Representatives of the private company...have appealed the initiation of the case. We hope, the court rejects the appeal and the investigation comes to a logical conclusion," Kuzmin said.
Relations between Russia and Ukraine have dramatically improved since President Viktor Yanukovych was elected in February on a platform to roll back the pro-Western policies of his predecessor, Viktor Yushchenko, and heal damaged ties with Moscow.
KIEV, May 28 (RIA Novosti)
