C O N F I D E N T I A L KIEV 003750

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/28/2016
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC PINR IR UP
SUBJECT: UKRAINE: GOU SAYS NO EVIDENCE OF KOLCHUGA SALES TO
IRAN

REF: KIEV 3710

Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor George Kent reasons 1.4(b,d)


1. (C) We followed up September 28 with MFA Arms Control and
Military Technical Cooperation Department Director General
Volodymyr Belashov regarding the Jane's Defense Weekly report
that Ukraine had recently delivered or was imminently
preparing to deliver an unknown number of Kolchuga systems to
Iran (reftel). Both the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and
the State Service for Export Controls had responded September
25 to MFA's written inquiries to report that they had
uncovered no evidence of such sales. The interagency
Presidential Committee on Military Technical Cooperation and
Export Controls had met September 27 and discussed the issue.
They had decided that the Ukrainian government would not
stoke the controversy by denying the claim; on an if-asked
basis, however, Ukrainian government officials would deny
that any such sale had taken place. Belashov assured us that
a review of Ukrainian government records had established that
there had been no dealings with Iran requiring an
export-control license for the last five years.


2. (C) After Belashov left the meeting, Igor Kyzym from
Belashov's staff said he had not heard of any sales during
the two years that he had worked in the MFA Arms Control and
Military Technical Cooperation Department; he had reviewed
his records dating back to 1998 and found no new contracts
with Iran. Kyzym said, given current concerns about Iran,
Ukraine's export control system had been extended to cover
exports of even non-sensitive and non-military or non-dual
use products to Iran.


3. (U) Visit Embassy Kiev's classified website:
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/kiev.
Taylor