As media reported on April 5, Turkey is allegedly in talks with Yuzhmash Mechanical Plant to buy the production documentation for the intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) R-36M2 «Voevoda» (NATO classification – SS-N-18 «Satan»). The missile was designed in the Soviet Union and is not produced anymore. It remains to be the most powerful nuclear strategic weapon in the world history from point of view of throw weight and re-entry vehicles. A division of 36 M2s could deliver a strike as powerful as 13 thousand of nuclear bombs used against Hiroshima during WWII. The missile’s range is 11000 km (6835.083 miles) enabling it to strike anywhere in the world. Ukraine has the documents at its disposal. Trying to sell the technology Kiev is in violation of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and The Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCoC). The participants of the HCoC are obliged not to facilitate, nor to support other countries in their efforts to build the ballistic missiles capable to carry weapons of mass destruction. Kiev has been bearing serious political obligations and must be especially restrained when it comes to technologies of building the missiles with the range over 300 km and workload over 500 kg. The document bans sales of ready-use components like engines, control systems, software and technologies to be used for construction of delivery means. It’s easy to see how quickly this missile technology can be transferred to the Middle East where it could get into the hands of Al Qaeda and other radicals. The situation is complicated enough, for instance, in March 2014 Ukraine suspended its military ties with Russia. Russia accounts for 80% of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex cooperation, the figure is 2, 5% in the case of the West. Severing ties with Russia means total elimination of this branch of economy that used to be so powerful before.
The inevitable collapse of Ukrainian military industry will entail a number of risks. First of all, the privatization of industrial facilities and design bureaus, which could be bought along with archives. The staff workers of bankrupt enterprises could sell away the documentation. The leading designers could be lured to work abroad.
No matter its present woeful plight, the military industry technological potential is still significant. Ukraine develops space rockets and produces air-to-air and anti-armor missiles. The «Yuzhnoye» engineering department is the designer of the 'RT-23 «Molodets», known to NATO by the name SS-24 «Scalpel», which is not in production anymore. It is a rail-based intercontinental ballistic missile system that was considered to be the greatest threat to the North Atlantic Alliance. With Kiev completely ignoring its international obligations related to non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, Satan and Scalpel technology could get anywhere.
The situation in Ukraine and the related threat of uncontrolled proliferation of missile technology becomes a universal problem. The Kiev-based regime is ready to sell the weapons and delivery means to anyone.
The draft law N 0076 denouncing the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) of July 1, 1968 was submitted to the Ukrainian parliament on March 20. The goal to make Ukraine a nuclear state is stated in the program of neo-Nazi Svoboda Party, which has representation within the ranks of the Kiev-based ruling group…
In fact it means a rogue state may appear on the European map ready to proliferate strategic missile technology throughout the whole world. Ukraine-produced missiles and nuclear warheads may not be targeted against Russia only – the technology may spread to the Middle and Far East.
Photo: SIPRI
