To return to the main
foreign assistance entry, see the Foreign Assistance
Overview
file.
11/4/2001: AGREEMENTS ON BOMBER, ICBM
INFRASTRUCTURE ELIMINATION SIGNED
For additional information please
see the 11/4/2001 entry in the
Ukraine: Bomber Decommissioning and Transfer Developments section and the
11/4/2001 entry in the Ukraine:
Missile/Silo Dismantlement section.
8/23/98: UKRAINE PROCEEDS WITH US
SUPPORTED DISMANTLEMENT, LUGAR VISITS KIEV
Ukraine is carrying out the destruction
of its inherited nuclear weapons arsenal. Ninety out of 130 missiles have
already been dismantled and the rest are expected to be eliminated by late
1998 or early 1999.[1] In addition, 120 missile silos have been liquidated
and 75 sites were re-cultivated. Preparations for strategic aircraft reductions
are also being completed.[2] Ukraine received significant financial help
from the United States under the Nunn-Lugar program to carry out the project.
In spite of considerable progress, Ukraine sees certain flaws in the program's
implementation. Heyorhiy Kryuchkov, the Head of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee
for National Security and Defense, for example, criticized the program
for focusing on missile destruction, while land cultivation and military
rehabilitation have fallen behind schedule.[3] Similarly, the Ukrainian
President Leonid Kuchma, who complimented the program, also pointed out
the lack of attention paid to land re-cultivation and noted that financial
support in this area was not arriving on time.[1,4,5] Kuchma addressed
these problems at a meeting with US Senator Richard Lugar.[4] During his
visit to Kiev, Senator Lugar met with Ukrainian government officials
to discuss various economic and nonproliferation related issues and promised
to proceed with financial assistance to Ukraine. His talks with Ukrainian
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Volodymyr Horbulin
concentrated on Ukraine's destruction of the nuclear infrastructure it
inherited from the Soviet Union, and Lugar expressed satisfaction with
the progress of dismantlement.[5]
11/6/97: SS-19 MISSILE AND SILO
DESTRUCTION TALLY
According to the US Department of Defense,
fifty-eight SS-19 missiles and sixty-six SS-19 silos have been destroyed
in Ukraine as of November 1997 under the CTR program. All of Ukraine's
132 SS-19 silos are scheduled to be eliminated by the end of 1998. The
destruction of these silos is managed by Bechtel International Corporation.
The SS-19 missile elimination project is being run by Morrison Knudsen.
In addition, preliminary work has begun to destroy all of Ukraine's SS-24
missiles and launchers.
7/26/96: MISSILE NEUTRALIZATION FACILITY OPENED IN DNIPROPETROVSK
(DNIPROPETRIVSK)
An ICBM neutralization facility was opened at the Pivdenmash
(Yuzhmash) Design Bureau/Production Association Plant in Dnipropetrivsk
for dismantling and eliminating 130 SS-19 strategic missiles at a rate
of no fewer than four missiles per month for two years. The US firm Morrison-Knudsen
was paid $19.4 million for the facility's design, maintenance, and training
of personnel. The whole project totalled $54 million in US government assistance.
6/4/96: FUNDS INCREASED FOR WEAPON DESTRUCTION
According to two CTR amendments signed by US Secretary of
Defense William Perry and the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Valeriy Shmarov
on 6/4/96, up to $29.7 million will be added to the Strategic Nuclear Arms
Elimination project and up to $13.4 million will be added to the Nuclear
Infrastructure Elimination project.
10/14/95: RADA OFFICIAL CLAIMS PROMISED AID UNDELIVERED
According to Volodymyr Mukhin, chair of the Rada Standing
Commission on Defense and National Security, Ukraine has received $60 million
of the approximately $350 million in aid promised by the US government
for the transfer of nuclear warheads to Russia. The transfer is reportedly
on schedule.
6/95: GAO REPORT OUTLINES PROGRESS IN DISMANTLEMENT
EFFORTS
According to a General Accounting Office (GAO) report, as
of 3/95, the total value of work performed for strategic nuclear arms dismantlement
thus far in Ukraine using CTR funds is more than $52 million. CTR assistance
includes mobile cranes, all-terrain vehicles, fuel, tires, and batteries.
The CTR budget calls for an additional $30 million over the next two fiscal
years for this work. As of 1/95, 40 SS-19 missiles had been removed from
their silos and all 46 SS-24 missiles had their warheads removed. As of
4/95, approximately 700 warheads (40 percent of Ukraine's total) had been
returned to Russia. The Ukrainian housing requirement is 6,000 units for
officer demobilization; the DoD defense conversion plan calls for building
428 housing units at a total cost of $30 million.
4/1/95: UNITED STATES PLEDGES ADDITIONAL $20 MILLION
The US Embassy in Kiev informed UNIAN News Service that the
United States granted an additional $20 million for the dismantlement and
elimination of strategic nuclear weapons on Ukraine's territory. There
is now a total of $297 million in Nunn-Lugar funds pledged to Ukraine.
US Secretary of Defense William Perry and Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy
Shmarov signed an agreement on the elimination of strategic and nuclear
weapons at Pervomaysk, where a joint-venture between the United States
firm Bill Harbert International and the Ukrainian military enterprise Frehat
was constructing military housing.
3/10/95: DISMANTLEMENT EQUIPMENT TO ARRIVE
As of 3/95, Ukraine had received a total of $4 million in
hardware and equipment for disarmament purposes. The United States has
reportedly provided American firms with contracts worth more than $100
million for hardware and equipment.
1/4/95: COMMUNICATIONS LINK ESTABLISHED
Defense Minister Valeriy Shmarov exchanged messages with
Defense Secretary William Perry for the first time over the new government-to-government
communications link. This link, connecting Kyiv and Washington via computer
terminals and satellite transmission circuits, was established in order
to exchange notification regarding the START I and INF Treaties. The $2.4
million project included computer and communication equipment, personnel
training, and a satellite ground station.
11/94: ALL SS-24s DEACTIVATED
As of 11/94, all 460 warheads on 46 SS-24s were deactivated
in Pervomaysk using US provided equipment, such as cranes and HMMWV utility
vehicles, and logistic support granted in 3/94.
3/22/94: UNITED STATES PLEDGES $50 MILLION IN MISSILE
ELIMINATION FUNDS
During Defense Secretary Perry's visit to Kiev, Perry and
Defense Minister Radetskyi signed an agreement, by which the United States
was to provide Ukraine with an additional $50 million for SS-24 and SS-19
missile elimination. This was in addition to the $135 million the United
States already promised in strategic offensive arms elimination. Perry
also promised another $50 million for defense conversion and security of
nuclear materials.
Page last updated 10 April 2003
Comments or questions? Contact Michael Jasinski at MIIS
CNS: Michael.Jasinski@miis.edu
This material is produced independently for NTI
by the Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the
Monterey Institute of International Studies and
does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has
not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers,
employees, agents. Copyright © 2002 by MIIS.
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