Major Oil Supplies Threatened In Caucasus War

A map tracing the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline which runs through Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has halted oil exports via the Georgian ports of Batumi and Kulevi due to clashes between Russia and Georgia, the head of the state oil company said Saturday. (AFP/Graphic/Laurence Saubadu)

Georgia: Russia targets key oil pipeline with over 50 missiles
-- The Telegraph

Russian jets targeted a key oil pipeline with over 50 missiles in a weekend bombing raid in Georgia that raised fears the conflict will tighten Moscow's stranglehold on Europe's energy supplies.

Deep craters pockmark the landscape south of the Georgian capital Tblisi in a Y-shaped pattern straddling the British-operated pipeline.

The attack left two deep holes less than 100 yards either side of a pressure vent on the pipeline. Shrapnel of highly engineered munitions litters the area.

There was no visible damage to the pipeline. Its vulnerability is summed up by a yellow hazard sign next to the vent warning against digging in the area. Anyone venturing on to the site is warned against smoking.

Local police recorded 51 strikes. "I have no doubt they wanted to target the pipeline, there is nothing else here," said Giorgi Abrahamisvili, a policeman who witnessed the attack.

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More News On Attacks On Oil Pipelines In Georgia

Azerbaijan halts oil exports via Georgia ports: state oil firm -- AFP
Russia says no plans to block Georgia oil port -- Reuters
Georgia: Russia targets key oil pipeline with over 50 missiles -- Telegraph
Georgia: Oil pipelines at risk -- Telegraph
Western Concern Grows Over Oil, Gas Pipes Through Georgia -- CNN
BP Operations Continue Amid Georgian Fighting, Pipeline Fire -- Bloomberg
Blow to hopes of oil pipeline security -- Financial Times
BP unaware of pipeline bombing in Georgia -- AFP
Russian jets targeted major oil pipeline: Georgia -- Reuters
Russia Continues to Pound Georgia-- Target Oil Pipeline -- Gateway Pundit

My Comment: If the reports from The Telegraph are true, targeting Western security interests and economic assets is a major escalation in this war. The implications on oil markets and prices will also be severe. Blow-back against Russian diplomatic interests will start to occur immediately from numerous countries. I cannot imagine higher oil prices caused by Russian military actions will make China, India, Japan, Europe, Turkey, and the U.S. happy observers.