Faced with this unprecedented situation, a state of emergency was declared on December 16 in Moldova, for a period of 60 days.
Many businesses in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniestria in Moldova are at a standstill on Thursday, announced the leader in charge of the economy after the end of Russian gas deliveries the day before, vital for its half-million inhabitants.
“All industrial companies are at a standstill, with the exception of those engaged in food production,” said Sergei Obolonik, the separatist representative who manages economic issues.
Sergei Obolonik deplored on Telegram a “serious crisis” with “irreversible” consequences: “There are no energy resources for the industrial sector,” he warned.
These alarming comments come the day after the cessation of Russian gas deliveries to Transdniestria, a pro-Russian separatist region of Moldova, in the context of a financial dispute with Chisinau.
“A difficult situation”
In fact, the Russian giant Gazprom has until now supplied Transdniestria with gas via the local supplier Tiraspoltransgaz, without paying for it. However, as Transdniestria was not recognized by the international community, the secessionist entity sent payment requests to Chisinau, increasing a debt to Gazprom.
Faced with this unprecedented situation, a state of emergency was declared on December 16 in Moldova, for a period of 60 days.
The leader of the pro-Russian separatists, Vadim Krasnosselskii, recognized “a problem” on Wednesday and called an emergency meeting.
Transdniestria “is going through a difficult situation”, Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda warned the same day, calling on Russia to “stop its blackmail”.
On site, the 450,000 residents are invited to “dress warmly”, to “group in one room” and not to use homemade heating methods to prevent the risk of fire, according to a company press release. of energy.
According to the authorities, 131 schools and 147 kindergartens had to be cut off from the network due to the supply interruption.
University exams will take place in the coming days only online, “a forced measure due to the situation”.
The rest of Moldova remains spared for the moment, notably thanks to help from neighboring Romania. It has already no longer received Russian gas since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but depends for a large part of its electricity needs on the Cuciurgan thermal power station, located in Transdniestria.
