Naftogaz helps law enforcers expose criminal group involved in oil theft in Sumy region
With the assistance of the security teams of the Naftogaz group, the National Police of Ukraine, together with the State Security Service of Ukraine, have stopped the activities of the Ternov organized criminal group.
"The perpetrators illegally crashed into the Ukrnafta oil pipeline and systematically stole oil in the Romny district of Sumy region," Naftogaz reported on its website on Friday.
The members of the group were detained directly during the next theft attempt - when they were taking oil from the pipeline and pumping it into a tank installed on a KAMAZ truck.
According to the investigation, due to unauthorized interference in the oil transportation system, the perpetrators stole an average of up to 10 cubic meters of oil every week. The stolen raw materials were transported to an industrial base in the city of Romny, where they accumulated, stored and sold it to private entrepreneurs in Chernihiv region.
As part of operational measures, law enforcement officers documented 16 cases of illegal hydrocarbon extraction.
Investigative actions are currently underway, and the final amount of losses is being clarified.
"Theft from pipelines is not only about direct multi-million-dollar losses. These are real risks of large-scale accidents. That is why we systematically interact with law enforcement officers to promptly detect and stop such schemes," said Serhiy Koretsky, Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz Ukrainy.
According to him, the company, together with the government and the Verkhovna Rada, is also working to strengthen criminal liability for oil and gas theft.
As emphasized in Naftogaz, the company’s security service constantly monitors the state of the oil and gas infrastructure and any unauthorized interference with the operation of pipelines is a criminal offense and poses a direct danger to people.