More than 51,000 homes were left without gas and 1,500 apartment buildings left unheated in winter in the pro-Russian separatist enclave of Moldova, authorities said Monday, after Ukraine refused to extended a transit agreement with Russia last week.
Transnistria, a mainly Russian-speaking separatist region along the Ukrainian border, had for decades received Russian gas via Ukraine, which it used to produce electricity also sold to the rest of Moldova, providing 80% of the energy of the country.
But that gas was cut along with flows to central and eastern Europe that stopped on New Year’s Day, after kyiv refused to extend a transit deal that had lasted for nearly three years. of total war between Russia and Ukraine.
The Transnistrian government said on Telegram that a total of 122 localities had been cut off from gas supplies as of Monday morning and only small quantities were being supplied to some apartments for cooking. Authorities ordered schools not to reopen after the winter holidays, and at least 131 schools and 147 kindergartens remained without heating.
“There is not a single person in Transnistria who is guilty of this situation – this is an external factor,” said the chairman of the region’s administration, Vadim Krasnoselsky, in a speech television.
Gas piped through Ukraine has long been Russia’s main way of supporting the breakaway region, which broke free from the control of Moldova’s central government during a brief war in 1992 and still hosts 1,500 troops Russians.
Moldova, whose pro-Western government seeks membership in the EU and NATO, accuses Moscow of trying to undermine its independence, including by manipulating separatists, which Russia denies.
Since Russian gas supplies were cut off earlier this year, Moldova has met its electricity needs by importing around 60% of the energy it needs from neighboring Romania. She claims to have offered to help the separatists obtain gas supplies.
Mr. Krasnoselsky called reports of such an aid offer “lies” and said Moldova’s goal was the “strangulation” of the enclave.
“There have been no offers of help from Moldova or other states. He urged residents to use firewood.
The Moldovan government has blamed the energy crisis on Gazprom, the Russian gas export giant, which it said refused to supply contracted gas to Moldova using an alternative route. forwarding.
Gazprom said it would suspend exports to Moldova on January 1 due to unpaid Moldovan debts that Moscow estimates at $709 million. Moldova disputes this figure and estimates it at $8.6 million.
