by Nikolaj Khramov

Since the middle of March the arms producers from Tula (one of the main centers of military industry in former Soviet Union) received the possibility to sale rifle weapons and ammunition to the foreign partners directly. This unprecedented decision was taken by Russian government on the initiative of minister for industry of Russian Federation Mr Aleksandr Titkin.

The Commercant weekly which informed at March 30 about this fact underlined that this dangerous step is only first one and will become a precedent for many other arms producers in Russia. The same Commercant reported also about another case when Perm mashinery factory has undertaken the attempt to make contract for supply of modern weapons of mass extermination. The first international aviation saloon on the territory of ex-USSR will be opened in the autumn in Zhukovsky city, Moscow region. It is not difficult to suppose, that new MIGs and other Soviet fighters and bombers will find their clients.

The most dangerous circumstance in the decision on Tula is, without any doubt, that there is no procedure of governmental control (I even don't speak about the international one) of such arms export from Tula - the "Russian gun kings" got only very soft recommendations "to consult with the government" about to whom the arms will be supplied. Sure there is no force in the nature which could stop Russian workers and directors to sale their products to every bloody dictator, until the price of Kalashnikov AK-74 on the world market will remain about 140 U.S. dollars - more than two monthly salaries of Tula worker...

It is matter of fact, that almost all arms producing in Commonwealth of Independent States is concentrated in two countries - Russia and Ukraine. This second one decided not to be backward too. As it was stated during the press conference in Ukrainian Supreme Council at 1 of April, "Ukraine as one of the successors of USSR will still sale weapons". Although it was underlined, that arms supplies will be not directed to the "hot zones", it is difficult to be calmed by such kind of declarations.

Now we are faced with the new - not ideological, but strongly commercial - point of view on arms trade in ex-Soviet states and, as a consequence, with the new conditions (or - if you want - with absence of any conditions) of such trade.

The beggar countries with hungry and angry citizens which received a colossal military industrial complex and militarist mentality as the only heritage of Soviet empire will resist all the forms of control on arms export - the almost only export which could be carried out therefrom.

How to stop it? How to press deputies in Moscow and Kiev at least to begin listen the propositions like that one which was adopted in Italian parliament? It is a matter of activity for very few liberal, really responsible political forces in that countries and - last, but not least - for the Transnational Radical Party. Who else could worry?

Kiev, 11 April, 1992