He was a Soviet officer, most likely a lieutenant, who simply saw the opportunities presented by three factors that came with the collapse of the USSR and the state sponsorship that entailed : abandoned aircraft on the runways from Moscow to Kiev, no longer able to fly because of the lack of money for fuel or maintenance ; huge stores of surplus weapons that were guarded by guards suddenly receiving little or no salary ; and the booming demand for those weapons from traditional Soviet clients and newly emerging armed groups from Africa to the Philippines.