The Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a statement denying a report claiming that Russian arms have been delivered to Syria through the Ukrainian port of Oktyabrsk in the past two years.
"With regard to the article ‘Ukrainian Port Eyed as Analysts Seek Syria’s Arms Source’ that was recently published in the American newspaper, The Washington Post, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs declares with responsibility that there has been no supply or transit of military goods from the Russian Federation through the territory of our country to Syria in the period of 2012-2013,” the statement said.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the most vivid evidence of Ukraine’s "responsible approach” to resolution of the Syrian crisis was the voluntary and complete cessation of Ukraine’s military-technical cooperation with Syria in May 2011.
Ukraine is also hoping that any international initiatives that will help to reduce tension in Syria, including the recent proposal to establish international control over the chemical weapons in the country, will be studied carefully and implemented.
The Washington Post newspaper recently published an article that claimed that military goods were being delivered to Syria via the specialized Ukrainian seaport of Oktyabrsk (Nikolayev region). However, the author of the article did not provide any evidence of this and based his allegations on circumstantial evidence – the switching off of the transponders that are used to determine the location of ships traveling between Ukraine and Syria.
