The government of the United States has accelerated the transfer of
ownership of five helicopter carriers to Kiev. The move comes as Washington
insists Moscow can "attack" Ukraine any time now.
The Mi-17 helicopters were originally purchased from Russia and intended for
the former Western-backed government in Afghanistan, before the Afghan
government surrendered to the Taliban last August.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Friday that Congress had
been notified of the move. Read also: Prediction of World Destruction
Strengthens with US-Russian Tension The plan will be carried out based on
the Excess Defense Articles program.
The US State Department said Thursday it was the "fastest transfer" for the
US government. The helicopters are already in Ukraine, which operates on
behalf of the Pentagon and were supposed to be sent to Afghanistan until a
Taliban takeover disrupted those plans.
“Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexey Reznikov requested the helicopter from
the Pentagon at the end of November, along with ammunition also allocated to
the defunct Afghan Army,” said a Foreign Policy report last month.
The US has been declaring Ukraine's claims of an impending Russian
"invasion" since November, although Moscow has dismissed the allegations as
"fake news".
Russia is adamant about its stance on talks with the US and NATO on security
guarantees in Europe. The Mi-17 helicopter was designed in the late 1970s as
an upgrade to the Mi-8 carrier. The helicopter is still known as the Mi-8M
in Russian service, with the Mi-17 being its export designation.
The helicopters are still being produced at the helicopter factory in Kazan,
east of Moscow. The Pentagon had spent about $648 million in mid-2010 buying
30 helicopters for the Afghan National Army and asked Congress to fund 10
more helicopters. The move has come under criticism because the Pentagon
does not buy products made in the United States.
US military officials argue that the Mi-17 was designed with Afghans more
familiar with it in mind, and is easier to operate than US-made Blackhawks
or Hueys.
Plans to buy “dozens” more Mi-17s for ANA, as well as several helicopters
for US Special Operations Command to help cover covert missions, reportedly
met resistance from the US Congress and cost concerns, the Washington Post
reported in June 2010. to "exorbitant" levels.
Most of the hardware supplied by the US to Afghanistan was seized by the
Taliban last year, including several Mi-17 helicopters, Mi-35 combat
helicopters, and even US-made Blackhawk helicopters as well as Humvees,
armored vehicles, and other small equipment.
