Weapons Sales 

The tank firing was carried out on December 14. The Ukrainian Embassy in Greece reported after the firing was over that Greeks are quite satisfied with our T-80. Greece's deputy minister of defense D. Apostalakis, who watched the firing, said that the Ukrainian tank was presented on the market of NATO countries for the first time and that in terms of its specifications, it gives way to no western tank. After summing up the results of the field trial, which, according to the diplomats, went without a hitch, "The Ukrainian side has a real chance to participate in the Greek tender."

However, it became known in Kyiv that our tank driver was injured during test firing and driving. All our attempts to clear up the crux of the problem with Ukrspetseksport (Ukrainian Special Exports), the only company now having the right to trade arms, including tanks, failed. Except that the chairman of the Export control service Valery Hubenko let slip, "As far as I know, he hit himself by accident when clearing an obstacle. We made inquiries three days ago. He is fine there." As to the slightly nervous reaction of Ukrspetseksport representatives to questions about Greece, this can be explained by other circumstances, which threaten the company's position.

The T-80 tank was presented in Greece by  Kharkiv's Malyshev Plant, and not by Ukrspetseksport. The Kharkiv plant has been long trying to outstrip what it considers the too obtrusive surveillance of this company. According to law, the plant can sell complete weapons systems abroad only through it, if there is something to sell, that is. If the government allowed Kharkiv to go solo Ukrspetseksport would lose one of the most profitable segments of its offering, for these are the tanks that promote national arms export. That is why even the smallest failures are extremely undesirable to Malyshev plant workers, because in the view of Greece Ukrspetseksport has an opportunity to say "See what happens..."

In his turn Valery Hubenko comments upon the plant's actions very calmly, "I do not think this is failure. If someone understood something wrong or wanted to achieve more, but failed, this does not mean it is a failure. Malyshev and our other enterprises are looking for an opportunity to increase production, to enter foreign markets somehow, and get orders. We should have mercy on them."

It is too early to predict how this story will influence the balance of forces in the domestic combat between Ukrainian arms manufacturers and traders. As for the foreign fronts, we have to admit that Greece is a hard nut for us to crack because our legal armor bearers are not doing all right in this market, either. Recall, this September the Ukrainian Zubr amphibious landing craft, manufactured in Fedosiya, was supposed to demonstrate its unique potential in Greece. Athens intends to purchase at least six ships of this type. However, the Zubr did not make it to Athens because Ankara did not let it through Turkish-controlled straits, because the application for passing the Bosporus and Dardanelles had been made too late. National Security and Defense Council Secretary Volodymyr Horbulin said then, "We simply lacked coordination between ministries and establishments. I think that errors will be corrected in the immediate future - within a month." Soon afterwards the managing board of State Export Control Service, which grants licenses for arms sales and exports from Ukraine, was changed. Valery Hubenko, until recently the President's Military Inspector General, was appointed the service chairman instead of Viktor Vashchylin. Cloakroom scuttlebutt had it that that Vashchylin was caught in a situation, where higher-ups disagreed over whether we can intensify military technical cooperation with Greece without spoiling relations with Turkey. And victory in the tender on manufacturing 1000 tanks for Ankara is Kyiv's fondest dream. One has to be a grand master to successfully sell arms to both Greece and Turkey, whose relations are rather complicated, to say the least. Ukrspetseksport considered it worth taking the risk. Of course, they wanted the best. And it turned out the way it usually does: our Zubr failed to make it to Greece and irritated the Turks. Then, a month later, a large Russian amphibious landing ship visited Greece with no fuss. Our arms traders could only beat their breasts.

Now the question arises whether Ukraine is willing to lose its chance to sell Turkey tanks by sending its T-80s to Greece? This same dilemma leaves the USA, France, and Germany absolutely unconcerned. They will fight for the Turkish order with equal determination. We should follow the example of the Old World. Secondly, it would not be a failure, if Ukraine suddenly wins the tender to supply Greece with 500 tanks instead of 1000 to Turkey. It would also be a rather wide field of operation for our Military Industrial Complex. A different thing seems to be the problem - what if these tank armadas are nothing but a bluff in the game between two distrustful competitors - Ankara and Athens?