Kiev - Russia will shut down a pair of early-warning radar
stations operating in Ukraine, Korrespondent magazine reported on
Thursday.
The Soviet-era installations are located in the Crimean peninsula
on the Black Sea and the west Ukraine border town Mukachevo.
Moscow pays Kiev 1.5 million dollars rent a year to operate both
sites, with the rental contract running out at the end of 2007.
Both complexes are outdated and replacable by more modern
monitoring systems within Russia proper, the report noted, citing an
unnamed Russia defence ministry official.
Ukraine in February 2005 suggested a hike in the rent for the
radar sites, a suggestion the Kremlin rejected at the time on the
grounds that a rental contract still was in effect.
A bill before the Duma, Russia's parliament, proposes the
construction of two Ukrainian radar sites using advanced technologies
near the town Lekhtus in Russia's western Leningrad province, and
near the town Armavir in Russia's southern Krasnodar province.
Kiev later that year conducted exploratory talks with the United
States on the eventual turning over of the radar sites at Mukachevo
and in Crimea to NATO, according to the report.
Russia has been in a long-running row with Kiev over its military
installations in Ukraine, particularly over Russian naval forces in
Crimea.
Moscow is also in conflict with the US over Washington's plan to
build early-warning radars in East Europe.
The US argues that the detection systems would be aimed at
potential nuclear enemies like Iran or North Korea, while the Kremlin
claims the proposed East Europe radars would undermine Russian
national security.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
USA
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