Gas storage tanks in Samashki dismantled for scrap metalTimur Aliyev, North Caucasus – A gas storage facility in the village of Samashki was almost completely dismantled by scrap metal thieves. The tanks were very large, measuring dozens of metres in diameter. Only 3 of 16 tanks are still standing.
According to the local residents, the tanks were dismantled openly - they were cut in half and the sheets of metal pulled off by a crane. This was not done clandestinely, on the contrary it was done openly, under the protection of people who represented themselves as members of the presidential security service, the "Kadyrovtsy".
This facility is part of the Grozny gas processing plant that was constructed at the end of the 70’s with components from Great Britain. "This expensive equipment is stolen and sold for almost nothing. The worst part is that we do not have the capability at this point to rebuild this type of facility”, said Usam Baysayev, a Samashki native and staff worker of human rights organisation Memorial.
Unfortunately, this type of theft is not uncommon in the Chechen Republic. The traffic in illegal scrap metal has spread all over Chechnya. Some of these criminal "iron hunters" even dismantle oil derricks and high-voltage power lines.
According to the Chechen Interior Ministry, the police confiscate some 40 tons of stolen metal every month. (S/E,T)
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