Gateway to Russia
 RUSSIA IN FACTS
Georgian blackout caused by sabotage
A failure at the Inguri hydroelectric station was caused by sabotage, said Georgian Fuel and Energy Minister Mamuka Nikoleishvili.

According to him, two sections of a 500,000 volt power line Imereti in western Georgia (in the zone of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict) were damaged by shots from an automatic weapon. The same happened to the Kolkhida-2 power line.

As a result, the Inguri hydroelectric station shut down automatically. According to Mr. Nikoleishvili, the energy system still does not generate electricity. Georgia’s National Security Ministry is investing the incident.

The breakdown at the Inguri hydroelectric station, which left the entire Georgia without electricity, was reported at 6:30 Moscow time. Tbilisi’s metro network stopped operating and the traffic signaling system broke down, causing gridlock on the roads. In addition, the water supply system is out of operation, as water intake facilities shut down.

Perhaps, it is the US power failure last week, which left about 50m people without power, that prompted Georgian terrorists to commit this act of sabotage. Commenting on the outage in the US and Canada, American terrorism analyst Steve Emerson said it was a very good training for terrorists, who realized that such things could be done easily. It seems that Georgian terrorists were quick to understand it.


Subscription to the daily news digest
Do you want to receive the latest news and analytical articles on a regular basis?
Click here to subscribe to the daily news digest.
You will be able to choose your own topics of interest.
Your e-mail address will be kept confidential and will be used exceptionally for sending you this digest.

MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

A Chinese `Invasion`
Political Lesson in the Cards
Ground to Nano-dust
Russian Orthodox Church hopes to end decades-old schism
Russia will prevent new arms race
PwC Says Russia`s Ripe for Picking
No timetable for Russian Kyoto approval
Russia returns to family of civilized nations

Russia MPs end hopes of ratifying Kyoto soon

MORE OF THE LATEST NEWS

Greenpeace for Kyoto Protocol
France urges Russia to ratify Kyoto protocol
Condition of poisoned Chechen leader deteriorates
Laura Bush to visit Moscow
Moscow to put squeeze on oil company taxes ENERGY LOBBY
Putin`s gamble: The European Union should call Russia`s bluff

RESEARCH DOCUMENTS

Investment Attractiveness Rating of Regions
Expert 200
Ratings of Audit Companies
Profiles of Russian Companies

top        Send article by e-mail
Get more info about Russia

Contact Us

© Copyright Gateway to Russia 2003

The site is created and administrated by Expert Group within the framework of exclusive contract with the Financial Times