US embassy cable - 05PRAGUE337

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000337 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/07/2015 
TAGS: MASS, PREL, EZ, UP, BO, RS 
SUBJECT:  (C) RUSSIAN MISSILES FOR US NAVY COMING FROM 
BELARUS 
 
Classified By: Deputy Political Counselor Mark Canning for reasons 1.4 
(a) (b) (c) 
 
1. (C) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST.  SEE PARAGRAPH 4. The US 
Navy has for some time been planning an open commercial 
purchase of 23 KH-31 (or MA-31) Russian sea-skimming missiles 
from a Czech arms dealer.  It has come to our attention that 
the missiles are coming from Belarus, via a series of 
complicated transactions.  This arrangement is reportedly 
necessary because the Russians themselves refused to sell the 
missiles to the Czech arms dealer. 
 
2.  (C) 23 of the KH-31 missiles are currently in Belarus, 
where they have been for as long as three decades. The 
propsed sale of these missiles to the US Navy would begin 
with a transaction between the Russian Army and the Belarus 
Army,  under which 23 newer missiles would be sent from 
Russia to Belarus. This is possible since the border between 
the two states lacks a customs inspection. As part of a 
cashless barter deal, the Belarus Army would ship back other 
goods.  Once the newer missiles arrive in Belarus,  The 
Belarus Army would sell the older missiles to a private firm 
in Belarus,  which would then sell the missiles to a private 
firm in Ukraine.  Post was told that it was not possible to 
ship the missiles directly from Russia to Ukraine. 
 
3.  (C) The Ukranian middleman would take a 20% cut and pass 
the missiles on to the Czech arms dealer,  who would bring 
them to the Czech Republic and make them available to the US 
contractor for delivery to the US.  The Czech export license 
would only show that the missiles had come from the Ukraine. 
However, the serial numbers on the missiles would make it 
possible to trace their origin to Belarus. 
 
4. (C) Post requests guidance. Post's believes this might be 
the only way for the US to acquire these missiles.  Is the 
Navy's need for these missiles strong enough to overcome US 
objections to military purchases, even indirectly involving 
Belarus? 
CABANISS