The Kharkov MK-2.5 diesel was a straight copy of the 1958 MVVS 25-D model from Czechoslovakia (as the Czech Republic was then). Made in Kharkiv, Ukraine, the Kharkov copy was introduced in 1960 at the instigation of DOSAAF, the organization responsible (among many other things) for the development of aeromodelling technology in the USSR. 

It appears that DOSAAF wanted the Kharkov produced to a higher standard of quality than that applied to many other "consumer-grade" Soviet model engines. To achieve this goal, they assigned its production to the FED precision engineering plant in Kharkiv, Ukraine. The main business of this facility was the manufacture of precision components for the aircraft and aerospace industries, with a sideline making photographic equipment. They were thus accustomed to working to the high quality standards required by DOSAAF for the MK-2.5. The relatively high quality of the Kharkov is a testament to their capabilities. Most examples of the engine are excellent starters and runners.

The engine remained in production for several years, although it was not produced in the massive quantities implied for other Russian productions. Even so, examples still appear regularly on eBay and elsewhere. A detailed article comparing the Kharkov MK-2.5 to its MVVS predecessor will appear in due course on this website.