Russian troops storm power stations

Russia's nuclear missiles: Useless without electricity

Commandos from a Siberian nuclear missile base have seized control of four electricity substations to prevent a power company cutting off their supply.

Soldiers scaled the fences of the substations two weeks ago and drove out the staff at gunpoint, after the base's unpaid electricity bill rose above five million roubles ($178,000).

Commanding officer Major-General Konstantin Svidersky said he could not allow the ballistic missiles under his control in the Altai region of southern Siberia to be switched off.

"I have been forced, yet again, to take the transformer substations which supply the missile division and the missile regiments under armed guard," he told Russian television.

"This is in order to guarantee and ensure the safety of these weapons, very serious weapons with which my people are armed, and in order to carry out the tasks entrusted to me."

Retaliation threat

The power company, Altai-energo, says it can no longer afford to continue providing the base with free electricity - whatever this may mean for the country's nuclear defences.

Are we to have another Chechnya here in the Altai?

Vladimir Konovalov, Altai-energo

General Svidersky's troops last seized the substations in November, when a special troubleshooting commission was sent to the remote region near the Kazakh and Mongolian borders.

Contradictory government regulations give power companies the right to disconnect debtors, but also say that strategic armed forces cannot be left without power.

At the time it was reported that the military promised to avoid using force to settle payment disputes in future.

The general director of Altai-energo, Vladimir Konovalov, hinted to Russian television that he might be forced to retaliate.

"If I am ordered to buy pistols and automatic weapons, well, I do not think anything good will come of that, although we do have a security service which is armed, in keeping with the law," he said.

"Are we to have another Chechnya here in the Altai?"

Centralisation

Commandos guarding the substations are currently allowing company staff to enter only to repair or service the equipment.

I will have enough strength, resources and resolve to ensure the necessary level of electricity supply to my missile facilities

General Svidersky

Russian military units are often unable to pay their electricity bills, and this is not the first time that disputes have ended in a show of force.

In one early case, soldiers on the northern Kola peninsula forced a power station to resume supplies after the plug was pulled on their nuclear submarine base.

Russian television prefaced its report on the latest row by commenting that it underlined the need to strengthen central control over Russia's regions - one of President Vladimir Putin's top priorities since coming to power on New Year's Eve.