BTR-4 APCs / Photo from UNIAN
Despite fighting in eastern Ukrainian Territories of Donbas, Ukraine has sold abroad 23 T-72 tanks, 28 modern armored personnel carriers (APCs), eight helicopters, six combat aircraft, one Bison landing craft, 18 rocket launchers, and over 27,000 firearms, according to the State Export Control Service (SECS).
According to the report by the SECS published on its website, 11 T-72 tanks were sold to Ethiopia, another 12 - to Nigeria.
15 BTR-3E1APCs, armed with Shturm-1 combat module, and two BTR-3M2 APCs, armed with 120-mm mortars, were sold to Thailand. 10 BTR-4ENAPCs were sent to Nigeria, and another BTR-4 APC – to the United States.
Also, six 122mm D30 howitzers were sold last year to Nigeria.
Croatia has bought five MiG-21 aircraft, Chad – has purchased a MiG-29 aircraft, while six MI-8 helicopters were sold to Belarus, and two Mi-24V helicopters - to Nigeria.
One amphibious project "958" landing hovercraft (aka Bison) was sent to China.
Algeria has purchased 18 missiles and rocket launchers, type of missiles was is not specified in the report.
By the end of 2014, more than 27,000 firearms was also sold abroad. The largest number of rifles and carbines was sold to the United States and Canada – 10,166 and 10,400 pieces, respectively. Another 5,000 were sold to the Czech Republic, 3,000 to Uganda, 100 to Georgia. The Sudan has purchased 830 light and 62 heavy machine guns.
10 triggers for man-portable air defense systems were sold to Germany, and one portable anti-tank guided missile system was sent to Belarus.
As UNIAN reported earlier, following military aggression by the Russian Federation in 2014, the Ukrainian government announced the termination of all exports of weapons.
But, despite claims by the authorities to ban the sales of weapons that have been desperately needed in combat in the ATO area, the export of arms from Ukraine never completely stopped.
In particular, at the end of 2014, the ex-prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko stated to the Security service of Ukraine that during the military conflict in eastern Ukraine, the country had exported 35,900 AKM assault rifles, 1,200 grenade launchers, almost 5,000 aircraft missiles, 60 Fagot anti-tank missiles, 10 APCs, 23 Flight UAVs, 10,000 helmets and two Mi-8 helicopters. Also, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2014, Ukraine sold weapons worth $ 664 million.
According to SIPRI, Ukraine has earned nearly $ 10.5 billion on military exports throughout the history of its independence.
In early 2015, the management of Ukroboronprom said that Ukraine should maintain the status of the leading arms exporter, despite the difficult economic situation and the ongoing war. The government supported this decision. Ukrainian President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said in May that Ukraine is to enter the world’s top five exporters of arms in the near future.