TBILISI, Georgia - Explosions blamed on sabotage hit pipelines running through southern Russia early Sunday, cutting the supply of natural gas to the Caucasus countries of Georgia and Armenia during a cold snap.
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Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said the blasts were aimed at destabilizing the mountain country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saakashvili's comments "cannot be seen as other than hysteria."
Russia's NTV showed footage of twisted and smoking pipelines in a mountain pass in the Russian republic of North Ossetia, which borders the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia.
Also Sunday, an explosion knocked out an electricity transmission tower in Russia, interrupting electricity supplies to Georgia. The Emergency Situations Ministry said the cause of that blast had not been determined.
Georgia and Armenia tapped into reserves to keep gas flowing during subfreezing weather, and Russia's electricity monopoly said it was rerouting power to Georgia.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or widespread suffering in the two impoverished Caucasus countries.
Nikolai Shepel, chief prosecutor for Russia's southern region, said investigators believed sabotage caused the pipeline blasts and Russian news reports said explosive residue was found nearby.
Criminal groups as well as militants with ties to Chechen rebels have been suspected in pipeline explosions in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region in recent years.
Georgia has faced energy shortages for more than a decade. Municipal heating systems in Georgia went out of service in the mid-1990s amid the country's post-Soviet economic collapse and many households rely on gas space heaters to stay warm.
"We have enough gas for just one day," Teona Doliashvili, a spokeswoman for Georgia's Energy Ministry said. Georgian officials moved to negotiate gas shipments from neighboring Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said the Azeri shipments began late Sunday, ITAR-Tass reported.
The gas shutdown underlined Georgia and Armenia's dependence on Russian energy supplies. Georgian officials often bristle at what they say are Russian attempts to use their control of the pipelines to interfere in the politics of its former Soviet republic, which now is pursuing pro-Western policies.
The blasts "were done so that Georgia will break apart ... and fall into the hands of Russia," Saakashvili told reporters in Tbilisi.
In response, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the Georgian government's "hysteria is accompanied by continued provocations against Russian servicemen in Georgia," where Russian bases remain in a vestige of the Soviet era.
A representative of South Ossetia's separatist government, Dmitry Medoyev, suggested that the blasts may have been set "by Georgian special services, trained by the American military," the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. The separatists seek union with Russia.
Earlier this month, Russia doubled the price of gas exports to Georgia and Armenia. It also announced drastic increases in prices for Ukraine — another former Soviet republic whose government has turned westward.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060123...hRvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--
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Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said the blasts were aimed at destabilizing the mountain country. The Russian Foreign Ministry said Saakashvili's comments "cannot be seen as other than hysteria."
Russia's NTV showed footage of twisted and smoking pipelines in a mountain pass in the Russian republic of North Ossetia, which borders the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia.
Also Sunday, an explosion knocked out an electricity transmission tower in Russia, interrupting electricity supplies to Georgia. The Emergency Situations Ministry said the cause of that blast had not been determined.
Georgia and Armenia tapped into reserves to keep gas flowing during subfreezing weather, and Russia's electricity monopoly said it was rerouting power to Georgia.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or widespread suffering in the two impoverished Caucasus countries.
Nikolai Shepel, chief prosecutor for Russia's southern region, said investigators believed sabotage caused the pipeline blasts and Russian news reports said explosive residue was found nearby.
Criminal groups as well as militants with ties to Chechen rebels have been suspected in pipeline explosions in Russia's turbulent North Caucasus region in recent years.
Georgia has faced energy shortages for more than a decade. Municipal heating systems in Georgia went out of service in the mid-1990s amid the country's post-Soviet economic collapse and many households rely on gas space heaters to stay warm.
"We have enough gas for just one day," Teona Doliashvili, a spokeswoman for Georgia's Energy Ministry said. Georgian officials moved to negotiate gas shipments from neighboring Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli said the Azeri shipments began late Sunday, ITAR-Tass reported.
The gas shutdown underlined Georgia and Armenia's dependence on Russian energy supplies. Georgian officials often bristle at what they say are Russian attempts to use their control of the pipelines to interfere in the politics of its former Soviet republic, which now is pursuing pro-Western policies.
The blasts "were done so that Georgia will break apart ... and fall into the hands of Russia," Saakashvili told reporters in Tbilisi.
In response, a Russian Foreign Ministry statement said the Georgian government's "hysteria is accompanied by continued provocations against Russian servicemen in Georgia," where Russian bases remain in a vestige of the Soviet era.
A representative of South Ossetia's separatist government, Dmitry Medoyev, suggested that the blasts may have been set "by Georgian special services, trained by the American military," the RIA-Novosti news agency reported. The separatists seek union with Russia.
Earlier this month, Russia doubled the price of gas exports to Georgia and Armenia. It also announced drastic increases in prices for Ukraine — another former Soviet republic whose government has turned westward.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060123...hRvaA8F;_ylu=X3oDMTA5aHJvMDdwBHNlYwN5bmNhdA--