To strengthen Russia’s political influence over Georgia’s separatist regions, Gazprom, without taking the trouble to ask for permission from Georgia’s democratically elected leaders, has begun constructing a gas pipeline connecting Russia and South Ossetia directly. Although there was no interruption of gas supply from Tbilisi to South Ossetia, this step is necessary for the Kremlin to ensure even greater integration of this Georgian region into Russia’s economic system.
为了增强对于格鲁吉亚国内闹分裂地区的政治影响，俄罗斯天然气工业公司在甚至没有征得格鲁吉亚民主选举的领导人许可的情况下就开始建造一条直接连接俄罗斯与南奥塞蒂的天然气管道。尽管第比利斯与南奥塞蒂的天然气供应从未中断，这是克里姆林宫为确保这个格鲁吉亚地区进一步融入俄罗斯经济体系而采取的一个必要步骤。