Gaddafi firing on Libyans with Ukrainian weapons?
Mar 4 at 00:50 | Yuliya Raskevich
Allegations that Ukrainian pilots were strafing anti-government protesters in Libya turned out to be wide of the mark.
However, what may be true is that Ukrainian weapons exports are being used to shoot protesters trying to bring down the nation’s dictator, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Western newspapers, including the New York Times, have reported that forces loyal to Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have used Kalashnikovs to fire on crowds of protesters. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon estimates that more than 1,000 people have died after a week of protests.
Libya was the third largest importer of Ukrainian small and light weapons, such as Kalashnikovs, from 2004 to 2007, selling 101,500weapons to the North African country, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a Swedish research center.
Ukraine’s long history of exporting arms to African countries has drawn international condemnation for fueling conflicts there.
Ukraine’s state-controlled arms dealer Ukrspecexport, which exports and imports military and special products and services, declined to comment on whether Kalashnikovs were exported to Libya and other African countries.
