Pivdenmash officials report call by Russian pranksters about DPRK scandal
State-owned Ukrainian rocket maker Pivdenmash (also known as Yuzhmash) Machine Building Plant has disclosed details about a telephone conversation on Wednesday between the plant's director general, Serhiy Voit, and Russian pranksters.
Russian state-television channel Russia 24 on Wednesday aired a clip about the prank.
"The authors of the news item played with words to make it look like it was a conversation about the scandal involving Pivdenmash's dealings with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), about so-called cooperation with them. This does not correspond with reality," the press service of Pivdenmash said.
"The Pivdenmash design bureau has for years worked with the Republic of Korea [also known as South Korea]. The first contracts were fulfilled and announcements were posted to the enterprise's website. The partnership today with the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) continues to develop. There has been no cooperation between Pivdenmash and DPRK, however," the press service said, adding that talk about the sale of the enterprise mentioned in Russia 24's news item was impossible.
"Pivdenmash cannot be privatized or incorporated according to Ukrainian law," the press service said.
As earlier reported, Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Head Oleksandr Turchynov and the Dnipro-based Pivdenmash rocket factory on August 14 flatly denied manufacturing military missiles or missile systems in the years of Ukraine's independence.
Pivdenmash officials said the only serial engine that had been exported in the past several years - the RD-843 shipped to Italy for the European launch vehicle Vega - is designed to operate in outer space, and its features, including its thrust, makes it unsuitable for use in military ballistic missiles.
"The information presented in the report is not consistent with reality: in particular, Pivdenmash is far from being a primary producer of missiles for Russia, and it also does not supply Russia with any missiles or its components or elements, including rocket engines," a statement from Pivdenmash says.
