“Hunters for condensers” nearly broke Russia’s security

Men who attacked a unique communication center of the Russian Navy to be put to jail.
Quite normal guys at the age of 22 to 24 nearly upset service of strategic nuclear subs with ballistic missiles on board running in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans. The men nearly imperiled security of the whole of Russia when they attacked a Vega reserve communication center of the Navy situated 45 kilometers from Arkhangelsk. Almost all of the criminals have been sentenced to several years’ imprisonment, for two of them suspended sentences were passed.

In a year after the Kursk sub wreck, in August 2001, three of the guys (one of them was a student) came across barbed wire in the forest near the settlement of Bolshaya Kudma. Then the guys, as the verdict of the court says: “penetrated into a military unit #35718 and stole seven blocks of equipment designed for air target tracing to the sum of 3,388 rubles.” The equipment was then brought to the city, the most valuable parts of the blocks were extracted and sold. To tell the truth, the guys liked that way to get easy money.

On the New Year’s eve the guys wanted to get easy money once again and suddenly recollected the military unit from where they had stolen precious equipment some time ago. But the men knew that after the last attack in August security was set in the military unit, that is why they took two rolls of adhesive tape to tie the security’s hands. The masked men left the car at some distance from the military unit and rushed into the building. There was only one security guard who could not make any resistance to the assailants. This time the guys wanted to steal 15 blocks for air and space tracing to the sum of over 6,000 rubles. Alarm was given at Vega at once, but the criminals escaped again. Vega servicemen are in despair and say, the Ministry of Defense can not provide financing as of now to buy new blocks.

PRAVDA.Ru correspondent was told over the phone at the Navy’s press-service, communication breakdowns did occur sometimes, however, it is convenient that military services provide for double and even triple reservation. At the end of 2001, when another attack at Vega was committed, reserved channels of other communication centers of the Navy were automatically put into effect.

The situation is really very dangerous, indeed, because theft of important condensers can result in a sub crash.

Vitaly Bratkov PRAVDA.Ru Arkhangelsk

In the photo: theft of condensers may result in large-scale catastrophes at nuclear subs (sub's interior)

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/06/17/42727.html