2006 North Ossetia sabotages

The 2006 North Ossetia sabotages were two explosions which occurred on the main branch and a reserve branch of the Mozdok-Tbilisi pipeline in the Russian border region of North Ossetia at around 0300 local time (0000 GMT) on January 22, 2006.

The electricity transmission line in Russia's southern region of Karachayevo-Cherkessiya - also near the Georgian border - was brought down by an explosion just hours later.

The explosions suspended gas supply to Georgia and Armenia, at a time when the weather conditions were particularly severe. Georgian authorities claimed the explosions were a deliberate act of sabotage, to force the nation into surrendering its pipelines to the Russian state owned monopoly Gazprom, but did not provide any evidence.

Russia dismisses the accusations, claiming the charges could be set by terrorists.

The pipelins were shortly fixed.

ee also

*Energy policy of Russia
*Gazprom
*Rose Revolution
*Russia-Ukraine gas dispute

External links

* [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/01/16ce1731-2372-4657-a9ff-b7b31ebaab5e.html RFE/RL]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4638566.stm BBC]