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No new threat to Russia from Kiev's new defense cooperation decree — ex-FSB chief

Nikolay Kovalyov has said he is confident that Ukraine’s covert military and technical cooperation "with particular countries" will soon become obvious

MOSCOW, August 28. /TASS/. Member of the Russian State Duma, former head of the Federal Security Service (FSB, former KGB) Nikolay Kovalyov has said he is confident that Ukraine’s covert military and technical cooperation "with particular countries" will soon become obvious and that he sees no new threats for Russia’s security in it.

Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Pyotr Poroshenko signed a decree on on enactment of the decision of the National Security and Defense Council on Ukraine’s military and technical cooperation "with individual countries." The list of the countries is classified.

"You can hardly hide a cat in a bag… Because the military and technical cooperation is something that is hard to conceal… That’s the supply of weapons, new orders, receipt of money by certain plants," Kovalyov told TASS on Friday. Therefore he believes that in the near future "everything will be perfectly clear and transparent, who will provide this military and technical assistance and to what extent."

According to the Russian parliamentarian, "there is nothing new in it in terms of threats." "Poroshenko does not conceal that he is clearly oriented toward the Western military-industrial complex. So, I see nothing principally new here," Kovalyov added.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed a decree on enactment of a decision of the National Security and Defense Council on Ukraine’s military and technical cooperation "with particular countries." 

Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada earlier denounced the agreement on military and technical cooperation between Ukraine and Russia, and President Petro Poroshenko signed the relevant law.

Kiev has also terminated the agreement with Russia on transit of Russian military units temporarily deployed to Moldova through Ukrainian territory and on cooperation in the field of military intelligence.