AFP: Firms misled Russia in fuel deals for US: probe: "WASHINGTON — Two companies hired by the Pentagon misled Russia for years about jet fuel deliveries to a key US air base in Kyrgyzstan, in a fraud that caused serious diplomatic fallout, said a congressional report issued Tuesday.
The investigation found the two firms, Mina and Red Star, created false documents with the help of Kyrgyz authorities to portray fuel shipments as purely for civil aviation and not for use by the US military, the investigation said.
Under the 'deception scheme' designed to avoid possible tariff charges, the report said vast amounts of jet fuel were ferried to the Manas air base in Kyrgyzstan, a vital strategic hub that sustains the US-led war effort in Afghanistan.
The Defense Logistics Agency, the Defense Department and the State Department 'all turned a blind eye to the fuel contracts' serious political, diplomatic, and geopolitical collateral consequences,' the report said."
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