Georgia, which considers both South Ossetia and Abkhazia to be part of its territory, has earlier tried to block supply of fuel to the countries.
In 2008, OAO Gazprom started the construction of a pipeline for direct supply of gas to South Ossetia. The 169-kilometers Dzuarikau-Tskhinvali pipeline passes through mountainous regions with a maximum altitude of 3,200 meters above sea level. Around 69 kilometers of the pipeline is in South Ossetian territory.
Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev said that the decision to recognize the former Georgian republics as independent states was “legitimate in terms of the international law, just and absolutely necessary.”
“In those circumstances no other decision could be made to protect the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” he said, adding that the decision was “irreversible, and we will abide by it.”
