Ukraine arrests head of aerospace giant over alleged Russia links
A court in Kiev has ordered the pre-trial detention of the head of Motor Sich, a Ukrainian company that makes aircraft engines, on charges of treason. Vyacheslav Boguslaev, who holds the title of Hero of Ukraine for his accomplishments, called his arrest a misunderstanding.
Boguslaev and Oleg Dzyuba, who heads the firm’s export department, had their cases heard on Monday behind closed doors.
Ukraine’s domestic security agency the SBU detained Boguslaev on Sunday, claiming they had evidence that he sold military products to Russia. If found guilty, he and Dzyuba may face up to 12 years in jail. In the case of Boguslaev, 83, it could mean an effective life sentence.
The SBU released, what it claimed to be, recordings of conversations between Boguslaev and Russian officials, in which they appeared to discuss the purchase of helicopter engines and their supply through intermediaries.
His lawyer, Ruslan Volynets, who briefly spoke to the press after the court hearing, claimed that the tapes were not part of the prosecution’s case against his client.
After the court ordered his pre-trial detention for 60 days, Boguslaev told journalists that he was satisfied with the decision.
“Those misunderstandings that our actions had caused have been cleared,” he said without offering further explanation.
The SBU allege that Motor Sich continued dealing with Russia even after Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine. In May, Russian forces attacked the firm’s premises in Zaporozhye. In the records released by the SBU, a voice purportedly to be that of Boguslaev can be heard saying that he and his people “hold absolutely no grudge” for the incident.
Boguslaev has been the head of Motor Sich since 1991, when it stopped being part of the Soviet Union’s defense industry. Russia remained its primary customer for decades.
After an armed coup in Ukraine in 2014 soured relations between Moscow and Kiev, Russian helicopter manufacturers said they could no longer rely on Ukraine to supply key components and would create alternative domestic suppliers.
Rostec, Russia’s technology conglomerate that includes various defense producers, stated, after news of Boguslaev’s detention, that it no longer used Ukrainian helicopter engines.
