Acts of sabotage were perpetrated at a number of Russian energy facilities in the North Caucasus on Saturday and Sunday. In North Ossetia several sections of the pipeline transporting Russian export gas to Georgia and Armenia were blown up, and in Karachayevo-Cherkessia a high-voltage transmission line, "Kavkasioni", supplying electric power to Georgia was damaged.
The trunk gas pipelines "North Caucasus- Transcaucasia" and "Mozdok-Tbilisi" were bombed Saturday night. Because of the explosions one of the energy blocks (capacity 250 mW) of the Tbilisi Power Station was temporarily put out of operation, and import of 150 mW of electric power from Armenia was disrupted.
Because of the blasts, electric power was cut off in several districts of Tbilisi and Eastern Georgia. Power supply was resumed at 10.30. a.m. The deficit of electric power would be compensated by the supply of 100 mW from Turkey, says the Georgian Ministry of Energy.
The "Kavkasioni" high-voltage transmission line (TL) was blown up at 11.50. on Sunday. Power supply to Georgia was cut off because of the bombing of one of the TL masts near Karachayevsk. The line is designed to transport about 100 mW of electric power from Russia to Georgia (about 6 percent of demand).
Despite the Russian party having promptly informed Georgian authorities of the causes of the energy supply failure and having invited Georgian specialists to take part in repair work, Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili made a series of harsh and baseless accusations. The Georgian leader accused Russia of provoking an energy crisis in Georgia.
M. Saakashvili does not believe the Russian party's statement that the explosions might be acts of sabotage perpetrated by international terrorists and Chechen gunmen. "This morning a serious act of sabotage was committed by Russia against Georgia's energy system", said M. Saakashvili at a press briefing in Tbilisi.
According to the Georgian president, Russia has intentionally stopped supplying gas to Georgia to blackmail it into selling its gas transporting system to Moscow. In passing, M. Saakashvili called Russian authorities "uncivilized people".
The scandal over the privatization of Georgia's gas transporting system has been going on for months. Americans have repeatedly called on Georgian authorities to refuse, by all means, even to the detriment of Georgia's interests, to sell any trunk gas pipelines to Russian "Gazprom" company. Against this background and considering the longstanding close ties between Georgian authorities and Chechen gunmen, the acts of sabotage against the energy facilities in the North Caucasus well fit into the new patters of anti-Russian gas policies of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldavia.
The trunk gas pipelines "North Caucasus- Transcaucasia" and "Mozdok-Tbilisi" were bombed Saturday night. Because of the explosions one of the energy blocks (capacity 250 mW) of the Tbilisi Power Station was temporarily put out of operation, and import of 150 mW of electric power from Armenia was disrupted.
Because of the blasts, electric power was cut off in several districts of Tbilisi and Eastern Georgia. Power supply was resumed at 10.30. a.m. The deficit of electric power would be compensated by the supply of 100 mW from Turkey, says the Georgian Ministry of Energy.
The "Kavkasioni" high-voltage transmission line (TL) was blown up at 11.50. on Sunday. Power supply to Georgia was cut off because of the bombing of one of the TL masts near Karachayevsk. The line is designed to transport about 100 mW of electric power from Russia to Georgia (about 6 percent of demand).
Despite the Russian party having promptly informed Georgian authorities of the causes of the energy supply failure and having invited Georgian specialists to take part in repair work, Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili made a series of harsh and baseless accusations. The Georgian leader accused Russia of provoking an energy crisis in Georgia.
M. Saakashvili does not believe the Russian party's statement that the explosions might be acts of sabotage perpetrated by international terrorists and Chechen gunmen. "This morning a serious act of sabotage was committed by Russia against Georgia's energy system", said M. Saakashvili at a press briefing in Tbilisi.
According to the Georgian president, Russia has intentionally stopped supplying gas to Georgia to blackmail it into selling its gas transporting system to Moscow. In passing, M. Saakashvili called Russian authorities "uncivilized people".
The scandal over the privatization of Georgia's gas transporting system has been going on for months. Americans have repeatedly called on Georgian authorities to refuse, by all means, even to the detriment of Georgia's interests, to sell any trunk gas pipelines to Russian "Gazprom" company. Against this background and considering the longstanding close ties between Georgian authorities and Chechen gunmen, the acts of sabotage against the energy facilities in the North Caucasus well fit into the new patters of anti-Russian gas policies of Georgia, Ukraine and Moldavia.
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