The UN Under-Secretary-General promotes the interests of a Russian company affiliated with the Kremlin regime. That’s despite sanctions and poor reputation.
UN officials are lobbying for continued economic relations with Russia, despite international sanctions against Moscow, and the reasons behind their efforts are linked with corruption.
In the period from July 31 to August 2, Atul Khare (India), UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support, appointed to this post in 2015, plans to visit Moscow under a formal pretext of discussing the withdrawal of Russian personnel along with the two Russian helicopters from Mali.
The Russians are pulling out following the decision by Mali’s junta regime, affiliated with the Kremlin, to shut down the UN mission in the country. Mr Khare plans to hold a meeting with the head of the Federal Air Transport Agency of Russia (Rosaviatsia) Aleksandr Neradko, as well as with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, on the issue of leasing helicopters and airplanes for UN peacekeeping missions, mainly in Africa, and using the services of Russian contractors.
After a series of aviation disasters recorded in Russia, Neradko was accused of being responsible for a drastic decline in the qualification level of Russian civil aviation pilots.
This visit has caused mixed reactions in the UN Secretariat, which claims that Mr Khare’s plans contradict the common position of the organization’s officials. In addition, sources in the Secretariat hint at the under-secretary-general’s corrupt interests.
It is highly likely that the Kremlin has promised Mr Khare a financial reward for lobbying Russian initiatives at the UN. The goal is to find a mechanism for continuing and expanding cooperation in the field of UN procurement of Russian aviation services.
The budget for UN Peacekeeping operations for the fiscal year July 1, 2021-June to 30, 2022 is a hefty $6.38 billion. (A/C.5/75/25)—and payments to Russian contractors will flow largely from this budget. According to the available figures, the UN’s purchases from Russia amounted to about $132.3 million in 2020, with Moscow listed as the 5th largest supplier behind UAE, USA, Kenya and Switzerland.
It is likely that Moscow has certain agreements with the regime in Bamako on the return of the UN peacekeeping mission to the country in case the organization extends and expands the purchase of services in the UN interests from Russia. The goal may be to demonstrate Russia’s importance in the UN’s international peacekeeping activities, highlight the level of cooperation with the UN, and defy the claim of Russia’s external isolation. Otherwise, there are indicators that the Kremlin is planning to replace UN peacekeepers with Wagner Group units, which will be redeployed to Africa after the recent mutiny attempt in Russia. In this way, the Russians intend to show the world the negative consequences of Russia’s isolation.
Despite the decision by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ІСАО) to ban flights for Russia-incorporated civil aviation operators, on September 14, 2022, ІСАО posted a bulletin noting that Russia failed to set up a proper supervision to ensure safety or airworthiness of their aircraft..
Thus, Atul Khare could be a lobbyist for the Russian aviation industry, dealing with contracts for helicopters (and other aircraft) for UN peacekeeping operations. It is highly likely that the largest Russian helicopter operator, UTair-Helicopter Services, maintains trade relations with the UN through Mr Khare.
There have also been rumors that some contracting firms have links to Russian oligarchs and high-ranking political officials who have been crippled by U.S. and Western European sanctions. According to open source data, the company is controlled by JSC Surgutnefegaz, which, in turn, through a network of other entities, is run by Gennadiy Tymchenko, Vladimir Putin’s close business ally, as per the Dossier Center. With the outset of the Russian war against Ukraine, Surgutneftegaz stopped posting financial performance reports. The operator orders helicopters from Rostekh Concern run by Mr Chemezov.
Mr Khare undermines the efforts to find an alternative solution by UN aviation experts, which allows Russia to de facto enjoy a non-competitive position on the market. According to some information, it was Mr Khare who drafted the report for the UN leadership on August 2, 2022, based on which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the unresolved developments involving Russia. Mr Khare argues that the UN will not be able to finance the services of aviation companies in case the organization snubs Russian services as contracts with non-Russian aviation companies would allegedly lead to a significant increase in costs, which may exceed the price of aviation services currently being provided. This lobbying operation is supported by David Beasley, the World Food Programme chief.
So certain motives are visible in Mr Khare’s actions, related to the efforts by Russian aviation companies to circumvent the restrictions imposed on them.
Mr Khare’s cooperation with Russia led to a split among UN Secretariat officials. The UN’s economic relations with sanctioned Russia compromise and may even threaten peacekeeping missions. The reports that Mr Khare’s assistant, Anne-Marie van den Berg, refused to accompany him on his trip to Moscow suggests that the visit could be ridden with certain corruption elements. Here is a breakdown of UN suppliers:
Khare could tie up with the Russians, precisely with UTair-Helicopter Services, back in 2010 at UTair’s base in Kalemie, eastern DRC. Documents reveal United Nations unit uncovered ‘culture of sexual exploitation and abuse’ after 2010 attack by UTair crew member, but permitted company to continue receiving contracts worth millions. During that period, Khare held the post of Deputy Head, Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York.
Reports said one of helicopter crews of UTair-Helicopter Services in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drugged and raped a teenage girl in a sexual attack. Senior UN officials considered terminating UTair’s contract after concluding that the incident, in which the girl was dumped naked and unconscious inside the helicopter base, was indicative of a wider culture of sexual exploitation at the company. Internal UN documents, marked “strictly confidential” and leaked to the Guardian, revealed how the UN’s internal complaints unit had uncovered evidence the woman was abused with lit cigarettes and photographed lying on the ground.
After what is described as collective “disgust” in the top echelons of the UN over the case, officials considered terminating UTair’s contract. Instead, the company was permitted to continue doing business with the UN on the condition it introduce a new training regime overseen by a monitor. Atul Khare, given his position at the time, was involved in settling the crisis. The Guardian also reported that the victim of the brutal abuse was offered a USD 500 as a one-time settlement payment. The fact indirectly confirming Khare’s involvement in the settlement effort in the DRC was his appointment in 2017 to the 9-member High-Level Task Force to Improve the United Nations Approach for Preventing and Addressing Sexual Abuse, which is not in line with his practical career experience.
