"This gang was how they sold 60% of the Pacific fleet"

The story of the theft of the missile boats in the main base of the baltic fleet at first glance looks harmless. Yes, comments military quite convincing, and boats are likely to do only taken away for scrap. However, it is through such schemes of the Russian fleet after the collapse of the Soviet Union underwent an unprecedented looting. From the waters of the harbour in the town of baltiysk (kaliningrad region) lost two missile boats, said on friday the telegram channel mash. Later, the sensation was partly dispelled.

The boat was decommissioned, and the loss of ships was reported to the police director of the company, which ships were sold by the ministry of defence for disposal. "If that could happen, then most likely towed somewhere dragged; it's scrap", – told RIA "News" in a press-service of the Western military district for the baltic fleet. But scrap metal is very expensive. "With such a ship you can pick from 50 to 80 million rubles, and if not removed the equipment, then even more. It all depends on the state of the metal, on ships very much color and precious metal," – said in comments the newspaper view the member of presidium of national anticorruption committee, the deputy of the state duma of the third and fourth convocations boris reznik.

Take, for example, the hovercraft, whose body (weighing several tens of tons) are made of aluminum alloy with each ship, according to experts, you can get up to $ 1 million. Utilization of boats will bring, of course, less income, but still very profitable. On the extent of utilization can be obtained from the documents published by the ministry of defense. For example, in 2014 the ministry official website posted a list of property for sale at auction – including decommissioned ships and vessels of the baltic and Northern fleets. The list can be found two small anti-submarine ship (one relatively new – the 1988-built), a large landing ship built in 1989, and two basic and three raid trawler.

However, as noted in june of this year the internet portal flot.com, specialsist minesweepers left without a replacement due to the lack of fleet replenishment vessels of this type. "Recycling of iron" is at the mercy of chastising case "Missing" from the baltic ships we are talking about the former missile boats of the project 205, says the captain of the i rank, first vice-president of academy of geopolitical problems konstantin sivkov. "They had a displacement of 205 tons. They were equipped with cruise missiles p-15m, two 30-mm twin guns ak-230 and the simplest electronic equipment. In command of this ship, lieutenants and senior lieutenants", – explained the military expert comments the newspaper view. Sivkov noted that, when it comes to these small katerkov, there is a practice of transferring them for disposal to private individuals.

With large ships such as, according to him, no, because owners just can not afford to do it. "The ministry of defense must take in the prescribed manner, not disposed of through commercial structures, and to transfer in the federal property management agency. And this (structure) should hold competitions, and on their basis have to pay for disposal", – emphasizes boris reznik. Meanwhile, warships are the subject of commercial disputes and even theft. This was particularly common in the first decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Secretly to take out the boats would be nevozmojnosti the news about the "Theft of the century" from the harbor of baltiysk is more like a dispute of economic entities, not the theft of military units of the baltic fleet.

Explain – the internal waters of Russia comparable in its maneuverability from any airport. In order to move the object from point a to point b, you need to pass a lot of approvals, starting with the request from the dispatcher. These two boats were not on the move. They were under tow through the canal. And this can only be done by requesting permission from the duty officer of the navy base and the manager of the civil navigation.

"Mystery crime drama" becomes a little naive: in order to steal something, you need to request permission from a large number of instances. Hypothetically bring to tow any self-propelled object on the navigable channel is like with no demand to take out a truck on the runway of the airfield. It is a priori impossible, it will be immediately noticed. There are lots of observation points. So the fact of the secret theft of two boats is questionable.

But the official sale of military ships as scrap metal was, unfortunately, very common fact. The case of commander menCanada recently, it was a mad business with millions of revolutions, accompanied by gangster dismantlings. The paradox is that in the nineties and zero years, when the business was flourishing, it was not criminal authorities and high-ranking military. Example – captain first rank Vladimir minkin of the 11 th division of the baltic fleet. He organized on their ships, which is more than 25 units, a system which would be envied by any criminal authority. He successfully wrote off the engines, turning them from one category to another. Then the engine went into "Brotherly" Poland, and mr. Minkin was a very good deal.

And involved in this scheme, the mechanics got what they needed from his father-the commander, for example improving housing, or assign to the academy. The system worked. Minkin condemned in 2005. He was given a ridiculous time in three years, and two of his accomplices – all conditional. Written off when an old ship or an old mechanism that this is nothing serious.

But, unfortunately, in those years, enterprising bureaucrats in pogonina paper translated obviously new elements of the arms in an indecent state and pushed to the left in exchange for fabulous fees. Today, the baltic fleet, such great scandals do not arise unless you assume that stealing become smarter. "In general, still need to figure out – scrap it. This gangster way – "Scrap" – at the time it was sold 60% of the pacific fleet," – emphasizes boris reznik. "Routine matter" cruisers "Minsk" and "Novorossiysk"Is one of the most notorious examples of this sad phenomenon was the scandal around "Waste" standing on the arms of the pacific fleet heavy aircraft-carrying cruisers (takr) "Minsk" and "Novorossiysk", decommissioned in 1994. "They were sent to the South Korean port of busan, they say, "Nails," recalls boris reznik. – approved liquidation statement, in which 11 admirals confirmed that the ships were in a state of "Empty. " this meant: they removed all the equipment and armament and transferred to storage at the warehouses of pacific fleet". The ships had to leave and was the last to put a seal on the customs in sovetskaya gavan.

"This is usually a routine matter, no one is watching. But here it was helped by the curiosity of a young employee vaninsky customs. He decided not to bother the chief of customs. But out of curiosity on the storm-the ladder climbed one of the decks (to a height of 10-storey building, but the guy is a former paratrooper) and saw all littered, and something covered with matting.

It is the matting pulled back and saw that there are sighting systems, multiple rocket launchers, more than 200 pieces of top-secret weapons. Lubrication, in fighting condition and with appropriate documentation," says resnick. According to the interlocutor, takri was sold to the South Korean side in just $ 4 million for each ship, as black metal. "While the ship was 480 kilometers krasnolenin pipelines, the cable is filled with precious metals and a host of other equipment, tanks were the eyeballs filled with fuel the price it was in the billions," – emphasizes resnick. History, including the efforts of the interlocutor, has received attention in the media. "It was a criminal case in which guilt was assigned to rear admiral, who by that time had already died and the case was terminated in connection with the death. But let me remind you that attended the signing of 11 admirals, plus the deal approved admiral igor kasatonov (at that time – the chief of the general staff of the navy) and the commander of the pacific fleet, admiral igor khmelnov," notes resnick. Such large ships for sale in the Russian navy is almost gone.

Probably, for this reason comes the news about the sale of scrap metal just small missile boats.