The news was accompanied by nothing special, your typical dull background that the joint venture will be registered in Moscow under Russian jurisdiction, headed by a representative of the Russian Federation, and Ukraine will appoint his deputy.
I might have missed this piece of information, preferring something fashionable, had I not written last year an opinion piece called “The new gas contracts: slavery for Ukraine.” The article pointed out all the things Ukraine had to give up as a result of Yulia Tymoshenko’s signing of the “victorious” gas deal.
Apart from concessions in the nuclear energy sector, the language sphere, and the city of Sevastopol (where Russian Black Sea Fleet is based), I mentioned the inevitable absorption of the Ukrainian aviation industry by its Russian counterparts, and the role that Tymoshenko and Viktor Yushchenko would play in it.
This is a quote: “Taking into consideration that the value of the Russian aviation industry significantly surpasses the value of Ukrainian aviation plants, Ukraine will have to hand over majority shares in its companies in exchange for minority shares in the Russian ones. This means, at the very least, that such a merger will cause the loss of all of Ukraine’s know-how in the aviation industry. And, in the worst-case scenario, it means that Ukraine’s aviation industry will be managed from the depths of Russia.”
And what are we seeing now? Even from reading the announcements about the creation of the joint venture we can conclude that even formal equality is not observed, and Ukraine is becoming a minor partner in this agreement, which will have to look up to its “big brother.”
To further the process of “integration,” the Russian side suggested that both Ukrainian and its own plane-building enterprises should be audited. Previously, Moscow had offered “its own” companies to conduct the audit. But it’s not clear yet who the auditors will be.
Moreover, despite the excitement connected with the preparation of such a festive event as the handover of the Ukrainian aviation industry to Russia, Ukrainian officials should not forget to give the Ukrainian society direct and public answers to some very unpleasant questions.
First of all, who will own the main asset of the Ukrainian aviation industry, the intellectual property, after the creation of the joint venture? And what are the safety mechanisms defending Ukrainian property from shadow privatization on the Russian territory? However, this might be the very purpose of such a “partnership.”
Next, what does Ukraine win and lose as a result of this cooperation? Or more precisely, how will the issues of competition be solved in short-distance and military aviation, for example?
These are the most advanced and successful areas of the Ukrainian aviation industry, in which even Russia cannot compete. It’s a well-known fact that Ukraine’s strongest points are civilian and military cargo planes, and production figures can support this argument.
It’s also clear that the main asset that Russia can offer in his cooperation is a large market. There is no irony in this statement: The Russian market and the Russians’ ability to pressure for the required decision can mean a lot for the Ukrainian plane building.
An -148
www.aviant.ua
However, the word is not limited to the Red square. Moreover, the Ukrainian An-148 and Russian SuperJet are direct rivals. The only difference is that the Ukrainian plane in already up and flying, while the Russian plane is yet to be used in the field.
It’s also worth mentioning that Russia has started a campaign to discredit the Ukrainian rival airplane. In one case a Russian company that uses the An-148 said the plane breaks down a lot, and cannot provide sufficient flight security. It said it would install Russian engines on its An-148 planes. In response, the Ukrainian engine maker, Motor Sich, said it would sue the Russians.
If things are really so bad, why is Moscow so desperate to unite? Why, after claiming that Ukrainian planes are dangerous, and seemingly against common sense, do the Russians want to get control over the Ukrainian inventions and production facilities?
The answer is obvious. That’s because the Ukrainian planes can fly better than other planes; because the Ukrainian engineers and plane constructors are more talented, and – regrettably – Ukrainian officials fail to understand these obvious things, and are easily satisfied with paper wings instead of the real ones.
Looking at what is being done to the Ukrainian nuclear energy sector, its aviation industry and other Ukrainian industries and individual facilities the Russians long to take over, a simple question arises: Dear officials, can’t you see that we’re being had at our own cost, and it’s presented as manna from heaven?
But then again, I can easily answer this question myself. And the answer is “Do they really care?”
Andriy Pyshny is deputy head of the Front of Changes political party led by Arseniy Yatseniuk. He has previously worked as first deputy chief of the board of directors of Oshchadbank, deputy head of Ukreximbank and deputy head of the president’s State Security and Defense Council.
