Ukrainian authorities are confident the ban on supplying defense products manufactured in Ukraine to Russia has not been broken, said Finance Minister Oleksandr Shlapak at a press conference, Wednesday, August 20, reports the online publication Publicist.
Referring specifically to the production of the Ukrainian engine manufacturer Motor-Sich, Shlapak said the company has stopped supplying its products to Russia.
“I have no information that they are supplying their products. Give me some proof and I assure you that tomorrow the head of the company will be arrested. With the arrival of the new president, the National Security Council has decided to ban the sale not only of the defense products, but also of dual-use products to Russia,” Shlapak said.
He admitted that he has heard rumors about the sale of such products through third countries. However, he emphasized that each report is investigated thoroughly and that Ukrainian enterprises are not allowed to supply these products to Russia, even if intergovernmental agreements with Russia have not been cancelled.
Recently an article in the Washington Post reported that Ukrainian factories oriented toward the Russian defense industry continue to supply their products to Russia. The journalists referred to representatives of the Motor-Sich company in Zaporizhzhia.
“We have our own party — the Motor-Sich party,” the paper quoted Anatoliy Malysh, a representative of the Ukrainian company that manufactures jet engines for planes and helicopters as well as industrial gas turbines. Engines that are installed on planes and helicopters are used for military and military-transport tasks of Russian aviation.
“We depend on Russia. The leaders in Kyiv think that national interests are more important than the economy. But let them speak to people who are without jobs. We are also patriots,” the newspaper quoted Malysh. According to the newspaper article, the factory continues to supply engines to Russia for combat and transport helicopters and also for transport planes.
In August, it was reported that the engine manufacturer’s assembly plant may be moved to Russia or another country. However, Motor Sich has denied the reports
According to Forbes, Motor-Sich delivered close to 70% of its production to Russia in 2013. As the company said, the issue of fully replacing the Russian-bound production “is a matter of several years, and maybe the political conflict will be resolved before then.”
[hr]Translated by Anna Mostovych
