The force is to be established starting Friday, said Vasily Boriskin, head of the Chechen fuel and energy complex, in a telephone interview from Grozny. Yes, by means of force. But for many Chechens, illegal oil sales are the only source of income. More than 100 cases were opened against the suspected owners of illegal businesses. Two towns in the Grozny region, Goryachevodsk and neighboring Tolstoi-Yurt, are famous for the large number of private makeshift refineries functioning there.
People boil oil in huge tanks in their back yards to make gasoline.
At night, the leftover waste is burned in huge bonfires, polluting the area and filling the air with bad fumes. Homemade gasoline is then sold in 10-liter jars for 35 rubles a jar. The sellers alone can make 1,000 rubles a day. The new oil police will have their headquarters in Goryachevodsk. Creation of the force has already begun, said Shaid Zhamaldayev, head of the administration in the Grozny region, which includes Goryachevodsk.