#15
Liberal Daily Claims Russian military has Lost Over 8,000
Weapons Over Last Six Years
Vremya MN
21 October 2002
[translation for personal use only]
Article by Viktor Myasnikov asserting the Russian military has lost over 8000 weapons over last six years: "We Have What We Guard - More than 8000 weapons have been lost from military units over the last six years."

Over the last six years, more than 8000 weapons have disappeared from military units.

The one-shot rocket-propelled infantry flamethrower is a weapon of terrifying power.

Its latest modification - the RGSh-1[sic] thermobaric rocket-propelled assault grenade is even more terrifying. In July at the arms exhibition "UralEkspoArms-2002," representatives of FGUP 'Bazalt' [Federal State Unitary Enterprise 'Bazalt'] demonstrated how its brainchild works. It was an unforgettable sight. A concrete block defensive installation was wiped out to its foundation, 1-ton slabs flew about like wood chips. The steel body of an armored transporter was literally twisted inside out.

The grenade's warhead essentially is an aerosol bottle filled with a combustible mixture. In a fraction of a second, the mixture forms a vapor cloud, fills in every nook and cranny, and then a powerful volumetric explosion occurs. The RShG-1 is as powerful as a 152-mm artillery shell. No other army in the world except the Russian army has anything like it.

And now, just imagine such a grenade launcher falling into the hands of criminals or terrorists. One shot could cause a panel building to collapse, or burn down the waiting area of a train station or a department store. There are plenty of examples to show that criminals would not stop at using such combat weapons. In the 1990's, in Yekaterinburg shots were fired from antitank grenade launchers on more than one occasion. One of the grenades flew into the office of the RUBOP [Regional Administration for Combating Organized Crime] investigator, in the middle of the night, fortunately. Another struck next to a window in the Oblast administration building in the very center of the city. In Moscow they shot at the US embassy and at the apartment of singer Zhanna Bichevskaya. All of these grenade launchers could only have fallen into the hands of criminals and extremists from military warehouses. And they were stolen from there by military people themselves.

In Russia, military people have always stolen weapons. For example, here is one quote: "It must be said that thefts of weapons, rifles, and revolvers were a frequent occurrence for the troops of the Turkestan Military District. And the thefts were carried out by the soldiers themselves. Many of the weapons were hauled off to the Caucasus, especially to Baku. They paid good money for weapons and bullets. That is why, as a rule, rifles in pyramids were even wrapped with chains run through the trigger guards. The keys were kept with the company duty officer, who kept a precise accounting of the weapons, received them and issued them on the condition of the recipient signing a receipt for them. The battalion duty officer at night would recount all of the rifles and note their presence in the watch log." This is an excerpt from the memoirs of B. M. Shaposhnikov in reference to his period of service in the Tsarist Army.

In our time, the military servicemembers' low pay, and as is more often the case, their lack of responsibility and low moral qualities, lure them into stealing. They steal everything - from gasoline and electronic units to ammunition and aircraft guns. In principle: we have what we guard. Among the weapons thieves are not just soldiers, but also warrant officers and officers, all the way up to the unit commanders and warehouse chiefs. For instance, on 3 October, artillery brigade warehouse chief Warrant Officer Yevgeniy Tarasenko was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for the theft and sale of 10 automatics, 9 pistols and a large quantity of other military gear.

In the words of the chairman of Russia's Supreme Military Tribunal, Nikolay Petukhov, more than 8000 weapons have disappeared from military units over the last six years. In 2001, the cases of 184 military servicemen accused of stealing weapons went to court. As a rule, the stolen weapons are sold to random buyers. They are by no means all professional criminals, but rather people who are simply arming themselves just in case. It has been a long time since criminal groups carried out risky raids on military warehouses. They prefer to conspire with those who guard them. Deplorable though it may be, Chechen terrorists also use this channel for acquiring weapons to its fullest. The terrorist act on 9 May in Kaspiysk, which took the lives of 42 people, was carried out using an MON-50 anti-personnel fragmentation mine purchased from a military unit.

Large-scale weapons thefts occur not just in Russia. In Ukraine and in Kazakhstan they occur almost as frequently. In Greece, in August of this year, a large number of automatics, machine guns and grenade launchers were stolen from a military base. In Israel, a soldier was killed during a raid on a military warehouse. A former officer was suspected of organizing that crime. In the US, among the top 20 most wanted criminals is a certain Victor Manuel Gerena, who is accused of stealing weapons and army ammunition to the tune of 7 million dollars.

Military warehouses are by no means the primary source of weapons for criminal groups. Contraband "barrels" figure into police reports much more frequently. Galina Staravoytova was killed by a Slovenian "Agram-2000" machine gun. The infamous killer Aleksandr Solonik preferred the Austrian "Glock" pistol. Czech "Scorpions," Israeli "Uzis," Romanian "Kalashnikovs" and many other foreign-made weapons are seized from criminals. Hired murderers often prefer the cheap Chinese TT, which they don't mind throwing away. A large number of these criminal guns come from the Baltics, where citizens are allowed to own weapons.

Could the latest models of Russian weapons end up outside the country? Unfortunately, yes, with the help of criminals who have ties abroad. Military people themselves will hardly risk searching for buyers among foreigners, just like representatives of foreign intelligence agencies will not risk looking for approaches to military warehouses. Army counter-intelligence is not sleeping on the job either. However, weapons leaks will continue until the approaches toward safeguarding military property are changed, military servicemembers start receiving fitting paychecks, and thievish people are no longer allowed into warehouses. That is what we call - military reform.

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