MOSCOW, May 30 (UPI) -- The head of Russia's main electricity supplier has said he will not resign because of last week's Moscow blackout, The Moscow Times reported Monday.
Anatoly Chubais, the head of Unified Energy Systems, lashed out at politicians calling for his ouster.
Speaking on a TV news program Saturday, Chubais said that although he accepted responsibility for Wednesday's blackout, he would resign only at the behest of UES shareholders, the largest of which is the government.
"The shareholder makes the decision about hiring or firing a manager," Chubais said. "I'm a manager, and the shareholder will make a decision. It will be carried out within three minutes."
The Prosecutor General's Office opened an investigation into criminal negligence against UES and its Moscow subsidiary, Mosenergo, hours after the blackout, and city prosecutors questioned Chubais for four hours Thursday evening, the Kommersant newspaper reported Saturday.
Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Saturday that the city would sue UES for damages caused by the blackout.
The blackout, which started with a fire at a substation in southern Moscow, left up to 2 million people in Moscow and four surrounding regions without electricity for hours.
