OREANDA-NEWS. On July 04, 2007 at the plenary meeting the State Duma enacted in the third reading a law allowing the staff of OJSC AK Transneft and OAO Gazprom to use duty weapons and special means to ensure security of their oil and gas pipelines and other facilities subjected to exclusive security standards, reported the press-centre of Atom Innovation Center.

According to the law, strategic enterprises, joint-stock companies and their affiliates operating long-distance pipelines in their ownership, after obtaining an appropriate license from the bodies of the interior, shall have the right to acquire non-military and duty weapons to safeguard the products delivered under a state contract, facilities meant for extraction, processing, transportation, storage of such products and other property necessary for the performance of state contracts.

Lists of facilities to be protected with non-military and duty weapons and special means, are to be approved by a strategic organization as agreed with the Ministry of the Interior of the Russian Federation, the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation.

The companies shall bear expenses relating to the implementation of the law.

Enactment of the law legislates the existing system of nationally important objects protection.