President Yanukovych says Ukraine must find its place in NATO concept

August 30, 2010 (UKRINFORM). Ukraine hopes to find its place in the new concept of NATO's cooperation with non-aligned states, President Viktor Yanukovych told reporters in Berlin on Monday following a meeting with German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to UKRINFORM correspondent.
"The North Atlantic alliance is planning to adopt a new concept at the end of this year, "and here Ukraine must find its place," Yanukovych stressed. The German chancellor, in turn, emphasized that Berlin recognizes the path of cooperation with NATO, which Ukraine has chosen as a neutral state. At the same time, Merkel noted that the issue of Ukraine's joining NATO is not on the agenda yet. Asked by reporters whether relations of Kyiv with Moscow do not contradict with relations with the EU and NATO, Merkel said that she sees no problem here. "We in Europe are interested in normal relations between Ukraine and Russia, because it is of great importance for energy security in Europe," she said. At the same time, the head of the German government noted that good relations of Kyiv with Moscow do not contradict Ukraine's approximation to the EU, including the preparation of the Association Agreement. The Ukrainian president also stressed the importance of introducing visa-free regime between Ukraine and the European Union. According to him, "this is a question of the near future". This, Yanukovych added, will be prompted by an agreement on cooperation between Ukraine and Germany in the field of combating organized crime and international terrorism signed by the Ukrainian and the German foreign ministries.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=196791

Ukraine supplies weapons to 14 states, actively to Azerbaijan

Ukraine sold weapons and military technology and equipment to 14 countries in 2009. This fact was reflected in the report delivered by Ukrainian authorized bodies for the United Nations Register of Conventional Arms. According to the report, in 2009, Ukraine sold to Azerbaijan the weapons as following: twenty nine armored troop-carriers “70”, twenty nine 122-millimeter automotive howitzers 2C1 “Carnation”, six 152-millimeter automotive howitzers 2C3 Acacia, one training and military fighter MiG-29UB, and eleven helicopters Mi-24. And besides, the scope of trade with Georgia declined: reportedly, only 5 Ukrainian-made armored troop-carriers “70” were sold to Georgia in 2009. Among other buyers were: Chad, Belarus, Myanmar, Equatorial Guinea, Egypt, Latvia, Pakistan, Algeria, the United Kingdom, USA, etc. In 2008, Ukraine sold to Azerbaijan 32 pieces of armored troop-carriers “70”, eighteen millimeter automotive howitzers 2C1 “Carnation”, 21 aviation rockets R-27, three rocket launchers 9P129-1M for the Point-U complex, and ten rocket launchers PZRK “Boom-3.”

http://www.aysor.am/en/news/2010/08/28/ukr-azer-arm/

Antonov ASTC president: First An-178 may take off in 2012

August 28, 2010 (UKRINFORM). According to Dmytro Kiva, the president and chief designer of the Antonov Aeronautical Scientific/Technical Complex (Antonov ASTC), the first medium-range transport aircraft An-178 will be built by the end of 2012.
"We believe that the first model of An-178 will take off in 2012, naturally, with adequate funding and settlement of some other issues," Kiva said.
According to him, the structure of the An-178 plane will be largely similar to the design of An-158. In particular, it concerns on-board equipment, including 57 digital systems. An-178 will differ from its predecessor by engines with increased thrust and the rear fuselage with folding ramp for loading and unloading. The designed aircraft can carry both civil self-propelled and military equipment, cargo in containers, evacuate the sick and wounded, and deliver troops to the destination, as well as landing paratroopers. An-178 payload will be up to 15 tons. In June Kiva announced about the designing of a medium-range transport aircraft An-178, which is to occupy a niche of the An-12 and Lockheed C-130 Hercules (USA) aircrafts. He also predicted a low price for the An-178 airlifters compared with analogues and expressed interest in this aircraft by airlines of different countries, including Russia.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=196682

Unknown persons open fire at office of chief editor of local newspaper in Poltava region

August 27, 2010 (Poltava Interfax-Ukraine). In Novi Sanzhary, Poltava region, unknown persons have fired several shots at the window of the office of chief editor of the Svitlytsia newspaper Oleksandr Zinchenko. Zinchenko told reporters on Thursday, August 27, that two shots from an automatic pistol were fired on Wednesday, August 25, at about 0930."At that moment I was not in the editorial office. The shots left bullet holes. The bullets were fired towards the head, and I would have been killed if I had been in that place at that moment," he said. Zinchenko believes this incident is connected with his professional activities, in particular, with a range of articles he published that are critical of local government officials. The press service of the regional police department told reporters the bullets were taken from the site of event and sent for examination. An investigation is being conducted.

http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/80113/

Ukraina stryper veteexporten

April 24, 2010 Kiev (TT-AFP). Ukraina kommer att begränsa sin spannmålsexport till följd av torkan. Ett exporttak på 3,5 miljoner ton fram till nyår ska träda i kraft första september, enligt vad landets jordbruksdepartement föreslår. Det motsvarar hälften av vad Ukraina exporterade under samma period förra året. De föreslagna exportbegränsningarna ska diskuteras av landets regering under onsdagen. Ukraina är världens sjätte största veteexportör och störst av alla på korn. I Ryssland har ett exportstopp på vete redan trätt i kraft till följd av torka och bränder. Ryssland har gott om vete i lager men vill försäkra sig om att inte en bristsituation eller drastiska prishöjningar ska uppstå på hemmamarknaden.

http://www.aftonbladet.se/senastenytt/ttnyheter/utrikes/article7632565.ab

August 25, 2010 (Reuters). Georgia accused Russia on Wednesday of deploying high-precision S-300 air defence missiles in breakaway South Ossetia in an effort to fence off the strategic South Caucasus. Russia said this month it had deployed the mobile missile system in Georgia's rebel Black Sea region of Abkhazia and other air defence systems in South Ossetia, epicentre of a five-day war between Russia and Georgia in 2008. It dismissed a statement by Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze on Wednesday that the S-300 had also been deployed in South Ossetia. Vashadze said Russia had "packed" its Gyumri military base in Armenia -- bordering Georgia -- with long-range S-300 missiles, capable of detecting, tracking and destroying cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and high- and low-flying aircraft.
"And be sure that they have brought the S-300 to the Tskhinvali region as well, although they have not announced it yet," Vashadze told reporters. Tskhinvali is South Ossetia's self-proclaimed capital, 116 km (72 miles) from Georgia's own capital Tbilisi. "So the Russians created a triangle in the Caucasus region, which they think they would need for possible confrontation with NATO," he added. The South Caucasus stretches from the Black Sea to the Caspian, bordering Russia, NATO-member Turkey and Iran. A spokesman at Russia's defence ministry would not comment on Vashadze's statement, but an air force official denied the system had been deployed in South Ossetia. "There are no S-300s in South Ossetia," the official said on condition of anonymity.
Deployment in Abkhazia of the missile system, code-named "Favourite" in Russia, sent a defiant signal to the West two years after Russia crushed an assault by Georgia's U.S.-trained military on South Ossetia. Russia said the systems would protect the rebel regions, which it recognised as independent states after the war, and the Russian bases it is building up. Analysts said the deployment was about control of the South Caucasus air corridor, a region criss-crossed by oil and gas pipelines bordering Iran. Russia has frozen delivery of S-300 missiles to Iran after backing new U.N. sanctions against Tehran over its nuclear programme. Washington and Israel had feared the missiles could allow Tehran to repel possible air strikes on its nuclear sites.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LDE67O1AX.htm

Ukrainian government approves army development strategy

August 20, 2010 (UKRINFORM). The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the army development strategy for 2011-2015 and submitted it to the president, Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Yezhel has said. The minister noted that the document suggested a number of quantitative and structural changes in the composition of the Armed Forces. In particular, it is planned to reduce and optimize the operational command, corps and other military bodies, he added. Before 2015 it is planned to reduce the army's strength by 20% and use the existing weapons without the introduction of the newest models, Yezhel said. The minister said that the strategy envisaged a gradual transition to a professional army. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, at a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council held in July, criticized the work of the defense minister, but did not raise the question of his dismissal. Instead, the National Security and Defense Council issued a number of instructions to Yezhel in order to improve the situation. It was decided to consider the activities of the Defense Ministry at a meeting on August 20, but it was postponed on August 19.

http://www.ukrinform.ua/eng/order/?id=196156