Although the Chinese government has not mentioned how LANTIRN and TIALD systems had fallen into the Chinese hands, western sources have reported that China had obtained the systems from downed allied aircraft via Iraq during the Gulf War.
Moldovan Prime Minister Vlad Filat said Igor Smirnov, Transnistria's separatist leader, freed Cazac as a result of ongoing negotiations about Moldova and Transnistria that include officials from Russia, the United States and the European Union.