News.Kyiv.Me.

US Vice-President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko
(image by Reuters)
The US Vice-President Joe Biden left Ukraine after
his official visit on November 20-21, 2014, but Kyiv is still full of
rumors about his arrival. And that’s due to the well known Ukrainian
hacker group Cyberberkut (cyber-berkut.org/en/)
that published in the net some documents signed by US President Barack
Obama and State Secretary John Kerry about further deliveries of the
lethal weapons to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The hacktivists claim they
found the documents in the mobile device of an American diplomat
accompanying Mr. Biden during his visit to Kyiv.

Cyberberkut hacktivist group
(image by Cyberberkut)
Official mass media preferred to avoid this message, however Rear
Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, as well as the press
secretary of the US Embassy in Moscow, were compelled to comment on the
leaked information about military deliveries to Ukraine. According to
their statements, Washington provides Kyiv exclusively with non-lethal
military aid. Though they didn’t disprove the fact that the State
Department employee’s mobile device had been hacked.

At the same time, the materials spread by Cyberberkut testify that
Washington is ready to deliver rifles, missiles, anti aircraft armament
and armor equipment to Kyiv. Besides, hackers claim that the Ukrainian
army has been financed from the US Department of Defense budget for a
long time. According to hackers, the amounts of financing are ‘amazing’
and make impression that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are ‘a branch of the
American Army’. What is more surprising, the US transfers hundreds of
thousand dollars to Ukrainian officers’ personal accounts in
circumvention of all established rules, principles and common sense.
It’s not excluded that the Ukrainian military could freely spend the
American aid for personal purposes.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are actually in the extremely deplorable
state. In August/September 2014, the Ukrainian ministry asked the
Pentagon to pay meals and incidental expenses of the Ukrainian officers
so that they could take part in the Rapid Trident joint maneuvers
pending in Ukraine. In fact, Kyiv might not be pressed for money so
much. The Ukrainians may just have wanted to gain from the United States
as much as possible while there was an opportunity like that.

Among the most interesting documents there’s also the Ukrainian
Defense Ministry ‘request’ for the American weapons supply. Kyiv asks to
deliver 400 sniper rifles, 2000 assault rifles, 720 shoulder grenade
launchers, nearly 200 mortars and more than 70 000 mortar shells, 420
Javelin anti-tank missiles and even 150 Stingers. Considering that the
rebels have no aircraft, there is a fair question, what will the
Ukrainian military do with anti-aircraft weapons? Unless they’re
awaiting for another Malaysian Boeing.

The request for diving equipment for an underwater warfare team of
150 personnel also attracts special attention. The requests like that go
outside the framework of peaceful and defensive measures. It turns out
that all Ukrainian peaceful initiatives and statements to cease fire
against rebels remain just a declaration.

Moreover, we shouldn’t forget that lethal weapons supplies to the
crisis regions are prohibited by the UN Charter and International Law.
Media leaks made by Cyberbercut hackers exclude the possibility that
lethal weapons will come to Ukraine stealthy. Evidently the United
States in contravention of civilized norms were not going to inform its
NATO partners on preparations for lethal weapons supplies to Ukraine.

At the same time, Washington continues to exert considerable pressure
on European countries in the context of the Ukrainian crisis. For
example, France has refused to deliver the first Mistral helicopter
carrier warship to Russia to the detriment of their own interests. In
addition to the public image losses as a reliable contractor, Paris will
have to pay about $2 bln penalty and compensation for non-contract
terms.

It seems that the visit of Vice President Joe Biden and his
delegation will have long-playing consequences due to the Ukrainian
followers of Julian Assange and his Wikileaks. As you know, what is done
by night appears by day. Perhaps, the US should be more transparent
with its European partners: it’s extremely unpleasant to learn from the
press about the secret negotiations behind your back.