Two days after the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, signed a decree sanctioning Chinese investors who wanted to take control of Motor Sich, the Security Service of Ukraine launched “investigative and operational measures in the city of Zaporizhia,” in which the Ukrainian one Engine manufacturer was supposed to hold a general meeting on January 31st.
The government wants to prevent the company and the technology from falling into foreign hands. It is feared that this could otherwise endanger national security. Specifically, it is about the shareholder Skyrizon, whose shares have been frozen for several years. This is accused, among other things, of being a mailbox company in the British Virgin Islands, but of being defacto under the control of China. The authorities should now investigate possible illegal activities at Motor Sich. The presumption of innocence investigations have not yet been completed.
It is also accused that Skyrizon wanted to acquire a stake "with a straw man" through a cooperation with an oligarch. Due to the sanctions against China still imposed by the Trump administration, the Chinese company ended up on the blacklist on January 14, 2020. According to local media reports, the oligarch's group of companies takes the view that it is a "serious buyer" and was ignorant and surprised about the US sanctions.
USA assume China as a front man for Russia
But it gets even more weird: On January 31, 2021, a meeting was held that was subsequently declared illegal by the Supervisory Board. On the other hand, Skyrizon shoots verbally and claims that one would be the legal owner of Motor Sich and that the management had to recognize this. But the company bosses don't think about that.
The matter has been dragging on for a number of years, as the Chinese tried to take over as early as 2016. At that time, the United States of America raised an objection and strongly warned the government of Ukraine that China could use the highly advanced technology and then sell it to Russia for military purposes. The Ukraine Security Service launched a review and froze the shares it had already acquired. These have not yet been released.
Airline subsidiary is a flying museum
The activities should not have any influence on the flight operations of Motor Sich Airlines, which are known in particular for the use of historical aircraft from Soviet times. The carrier recently carried out the flight schedule that was reduced due to the pandemic. At the moment, Motor Sich is also increasingly flying freight.
Some of the carrier's machines are getting old and one of the few airlines in Ukraine is on the “black list” of the European Union. The main route of the carrier is Zaporozhye-Kiev Shulyany. This is usually served with an Antonov An-24. Motor Sich is the only airline that still uses this pattern for passenger flights. For example, the UR-MSI was built in 1962 and is now 59 years old. This An-24 is used almost every day from Zaporizhia to Kiev Shulyany and / or Minsk.
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