Posted on 07/29/2014 2:15:59 AM PDT by Freelance Warrior
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has laid bare and stopped stealing of airplane fuel by two servicemen who served in a military base in Zhitomirskaya oblast’ [Zhitomir province].
We have the evidence that the officers (one of whom was responsible for planes’ combat readiness) accumulated unaccounted fuel by compromising quality of service procedures carried out on planes which have been performing combat missions. Then they trucked the fuel away of the base and sold it. The criminals were arrested by SBU agents while trying to take 500 liters of the fuel away from the military base.
The military prosecutor’s office has filed a criminal case on part 2 of the article 410 of the Ukraine’s criminal code. The Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has decided to strip the officers from their military ranks and to discharge them dishonourably from the Ukrainian Military Forces.
Wiping out corruption is going to be a long, hard process for Ukraine. But if they can pull it off, as well as maintain their territorial integrity, they’ve probably got a good future ahead of them. They have not just great food resources, but also mineral resources. If they get enough investment (which again, requires territorial integrity and stability), they have the potential to become one of Europe’s biggest natural gas producers thanks to hydraulic fracking. And unlike most of Europe, I doubt they’d hesitate to make use of their resources.
But it all comes down to wiping out the “rebels” and securing their borders sufficiently to achieve the level of stability necessary to draw investor interest.
If I remember right, they have the third largest shale gas reserves in Europe, and are estimated to be able to reach sufficient production to meet all their needs and begin to export in about 6 years from commencement of work.
Without the Crimea their reserves are much lower, if anything is left at all. Anyway, they haven't touched them in 20 years.
IIRC, Germany had started fracking projects and the USA EPA interfered and brought it to a halt.
In with the new boss, same as the old boss.
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