Sebastopol wants Russia to pay back Black Sea Fleet pension fund debt

04.03.2009
The Sebastopol city administration plans to demand that Russia pay back the debt owed by the Black Sea Fleet to the Ukrainian pension fund, the press service of the city administration has announced.

The Sebastopol city administration plans to address Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdiukov, Commander of the Russian Navy Vladimir Vysotsky, and Commander of the Black Sea Fleet Alexander Kletskov in writing with a demand to redeem the Black Sea Fleet's debt to the Ukrainian pension fund. According to Sergey Kunitsin, a representative of the Sebastopol city administration, more than 30% of the 9 million hryvna overall debt to the pension fund is owed by the construction directorate of the Black Sea Fleet. In addition, the Fleet owes 1.4 billion hryvna in back wages.

According to E-Krym, an information agency, the Black Sea Fleet is the biggest debtor in terms of contributions to the Ukrainian pension fund.

The Black Sea Fleet has released a list of 735 workers, all Ukrainian citizens, it plans to let go, according to Irina Tsokur, the deputy head of the Sebastopol city administration. The first deputy head of the city administration, Vladimir Karazin, has announced that the Fleet plans to lay off 3,000 officers and 6,000 civilian staff. "All these negative processes are very disturbing symptoms. That is why, when one talks about relations between Ukrainian authorities and the Russian military, we want to say just this: one should not lay claims to Ukraine, first sort it out yourself," Kunitsin added.