MOSCOW, December 23. /TASS/. The Federal Security Service has thwarted a Ukrainian citizen’s attempt to take away from Russia electronic blocks to air defense missile systems S-300 and Buk-M1.
“On December 17, the activity of Ukrainian citizen Denis Danchenko was suppressed in Moscow, as the latter sought to acquire electronic blocks to air defense missile systems S-300 and Buk-M1 violating the regulations, as information about them constitutes the state secret, and tried to take them away to Ukraine disguised as air conditioning systems. After detention, Danchenko fully confirmed his plans,” the Federal Security Service Public Relations Center told TASS.
“The activity of the foreigner was curbed at the time when no damage to Russian security was caused yet,” the agency noted.
Therefore, the Ukrainian citizen was officially warned by security services and it was decided to deport Danchenko from Russia.
Attempts to smuggle equipment to Ukraine
The Russian Federal Security Service has repeatedly detected attempts of Ukrainian citizens to get parts of S-300 and Buk-M1 antiaircraft missile systems to smuggle them to Ukraine.
“In 2014, the FSS reported attempts of some Ukrainian citizens operating in the interests of the state corporation Sky of Ukraine (Kiev) to illegally get parts for S-300 and Buk M1 antiaircraft missiles complexes in Russia’s territory to smuggle them to Ukraine,” a source at the FSS public relations center told TASS.
The corporation Sky of Ukraine is currently headed by Vladimir Tkachev, who was commander of the air defense forces of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry in October 2001, when a Russian passenger airliner Tu-154 was shot down over the Black Sea, killing 66 passengers and 12 crew members, the FSS source said.