No farewell to arms

Lieutenant-General Alexander Shlyakhturov, Chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation told ITAR-TASS that in view of unpredictable policies of the Georgian leadership repetition of August 2008 events when Georgia launched hostilities against South Ossetia and Abkhazia is likely.

Such assumptions by the RF military intelligence chief are based on GRU's information that Georgia keeps receiving military aid from NATO member states, Israel and Ukraine just like before August 2008 events.

"NATO member states and primarily Eastern European countries inside the alliance denominated "neo-NATO members" supply Georgia with small arms and ammunition mostly. The USA provide training to the Georgian army in compliance with NATO tactics, Israel ships pilotless drones to Georgia and Ukraine - heavy weapons like tanks and anti-missile defense units", - Shlyakhturov told.

It is particularly important to dwell on Kiev's stand on arms supply to Saakashvili regime. The GRU chief noted that arms supplies from Ukraine are not official but they are not unknown to or unpatronized by the top leadership of Ukraine".

It will be remembered on July 2 Ukrspetsexport state company CEO Sergey Bondarchuk stated Ukraine had been and still continued executing arms supply contracts signed earlier with Georgia until the UN Security Council adopted any bans. The company's head confirmed supplies of Osa and Buk rocket launcher systems, Kolchuga-M systems, Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, infantry combat vehicles and small arms highlighting: "These were all legal shipments on the basis of preagreed requests-permissions obtained from the special services".

Earlier Valery Konovalyuk, Party of Regions deputy chairing the Verkhovnaya Rada's interim committee of inquiry on investigation of the circumstances and establishing the facts of supplies of Ukrainian military equipment in violation of the laws of Ukraine and international law stated that Ukrainian arms supplies to Georgia for the military operation against South Ossetia and Russia were known to and instructed by Ukrainian president Viktor Yushenko.

A high-ranking official in the Joint Staff also told about "the falsity and double-dealing among the Ukrainian authorities".

"Ukraine's top leadership including President Viktor Yushenko publicly declares their decisiveness to build friendship and strategic partnership with Russia and secretly equip Georgia with heavy armament and military weaponry. Doing so the Ukrainian leaders openly push the uncontrollable Georgian regime to new military adventures in the Caucasus fraught with new human victims and a drastic destabilization of the situation in the region.

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