Russian incident

TORONTO — Fighter jets were scrambled to intercept a Russian bomber in the Arctic as it approached Canadian airspace on the eve of President Barack Obama's visit to Ottawa last week, Canada's defense minister said Friday.

Peter MacKay said the bomber never entered Canadian airspace. But he said two Canadian CF-18 jets met the bomber in international airspace and sent a "strong signal that they should back off."

"They met a Russian aircraft that was approaching Canadian airspace, and as they have done in previous occasions they sent very clear signals that are understood, that the aircraft was to turnaround, turn tail, and head back to their airspace, which it did," MacKay said.

"I'm not going to stand here and accuse the Russians of having deliberately done this during the presidential visit, but it was a strong coincidence," he said of the Feb. 18 incident.

Obama arrived in Ottawa the next day and Canadian security services were focused on his arrival. But the Arctic incident did not stretch Canada's resources, he said.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Alexander Drobyshevsky said in a statement Friday that the plane never encroached on Canadian airspace and that Canada had been told about the flight beforehand.

"The statements by Canada's defense minister about flights of our aircraft are absolutely incomprehensible. They are nothing but farce," Drobyshevsky said.

Soviet aircraft regularly flew near North American airspace during the Cold War but stopped after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Several years ago, Russian jets resumed these types of flights, according to U.S. and Canadian authorities

Seven legal ways of stealing from budget

 1. "Make an order". 
Speed limiters, for instance. Do you know why they appeared recently? And why they are being mounted three or even four in a row? The answer is very simple: capital authorities pay Uah 50000 for mounting the single one, while wholesale cost of it is Uah 300. They earn 100 times including installations maintenance. Sudden replacement of old traffic lights that took place all over Kiev hardly could be explained by sudden care of pedestrians ‘cause no "zebra" markings were refreshed .

2. "Guarantees". 
In the state budget of 2007 Uah 4,7 billions expenses had been claimed. Those money had been guaranteed to one large state company that should repair roads. What was possible to take had been taken. We are speaking about $1 billions credit that should be secured by state guarantees - ostensibly roads lining and improving. Credits been taken, roads "repaired". The head of Counting Chamber has told in this occasion: "The audit of financing of building Kiev-Odessa highway taken by us has shown, that the total sum of inefficiently used money has exceeded Uah 1 billions. The price of kilometre of a highway multiplied nine times". Speaking of roads - if in Kiev, not mentioning other cities of Ukraine, you will see a straight piece of road - go round. Such memory should be honoured.

3. "Layer".
 Nobody writes and talks about it, but such things happen. Some big state company ordered the equipment abroad. It was bought not at the manufacturer, but at a foreign firm that purchases the necessary equipment, and resells it gaining 10-20 %. But if you would call there you would hear Russian voice. And as the equipment - boring, costs over $1 billions you would tell, who the customer is. By the way, RosUkrEnergo is a kind of such pattern.

4. "The fictitious order". 
In 2007 one state company has paid to the lawyer firm for Uah 49 million. They had their own law department, by the way. Plus maintaining of charter flights, wheels for Uah 1 million, bonuses and awards to top management. The budget relates directly here because losses of such companies are to be covered by its means.

5. "VAT compensation". 
Company "A" buys from company "B" some goods for sum Х + the VAT. Then "A" provides tax inspection the statement (with tax waybills from “B” attached) about compensation of the sum of the VAT. Then “B”, declares itself bankrupt the next day (“firm for a day"). At good mutual understanding of all connected people this scheme works like clock-work. Until it is not found, that for the accounting period there had been received less, than paid.

6. "Grants".
 Grants is a real piece of cake. Grants in Ukraine go basically for the coal-mining and agrarian industry. For agrarian - Uah 10 billions is proovided. It is not necessary to investigate any schemes - simply visit any Ukrainian village. If direct manufacturers of agricultural production would just have seen at least a half of that money - they would be carried by personal drivers to their fields and farms. And , apparently, in 2009 the servants of people will simply give to the enterprises from the budget so much, how many it is necessary for them, and will name it "the state support of real sector of domestic economy".

7. However the biggest robbery took place recently. Astonishing sum of money was stolen. Incomes of the budget in 2008 - $46 billions (Uah 231 billions. At the rate of 5,05 hryvnas for a dollar); incomes of the budget in 2009 - $30 billions (Uah 239 billions. At the rate of 8,0 hryvnas for a dollar). The difference is $16 billions...