Now They’re After Putin (Part XII)
I was wondering how long it would take them to blame the death of Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania of Georgia — felled by an accidental gas leak — on the Russians. The answer — a matter of hours — is in today’s New York Times:
“The circumstances of his death nonetheless gave birth to rumors and conspiracy theories, despite the official version.
“A member of parliament, Alexander Shalamberidze, insinuated that his death was part of a plot orchestrated by “certain forces” in Russia that included the bombing of a police station in the city of Gori that killed 3 and wounded more than 20 earlier this week. His statement prompted a pointed protest from Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov.
“A backgammon board was lying open on a table near an Iranian-made gas heater. Portable gas or wood-burning heaters are common in Georgia, where central heating networks are scarce, even in the capital. The official Russian Information Agency reported that 45 Georgians had died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the last three years.
“Guram Donadze, a spokesman for the interior ministry, said the heater was installed two days ago and seemed to work properly. But it appeared that the room lacked proper ventilation. ‘There are many rumors, suspicions, various versions,’ he said in a telephone interview. ‘However, what actually happened was gas poisoning – nothing else.'”