The breakaway region of Moldova, controlled by Moscow, will receive gas from the Kremlin as a “humanitarian gesture”, while the rest of the country remains isolated after Russia cut off supplies on January 1, citing alleged unpaid debts.
Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria will receive gas from Russia as “humanitarian aid”, but the rest of the country will remain cut off from supplies from Moscow, Kremlin-backed separatist leader Vadim Krasnoselsky said on Wednesday.
Moldova and Transnistria both declared a state of emergency after Russia cut gas supplies on January 1, citing an alleged $709 million (€688 million) debt for earlier supplies – an allegation that the Moldovan government has fiercely denied.
However, Krasnoselsky said on Tuesday that gas supplies to the region would be restored after “negotiations” with the Russian Energy Ministry. Krasnoselsky explained that supplies would be restored to provide Transnistria with “humanitarian and technical assistance”, although he did not give a timetable for when this would happen.
Transnistria, where temperatures often drop below zero degrees, last week extended a state of emergency after the cutoff in gas supplies led to the closure of almost all industrial activities and power cuts. electricity for up to eight hours a day.
Moldovan authorities declared a state of emergency on Monday, fearing gas shortages could trigger a humanitarian crisis in Transnistria, which claimed unilateral and internationally unrecognized independence after a short war in 1992.
The rest of Moldova, however, seems likely to continue to suffer from a lack of energy. Gas deliveries to the EU candidate country have been halted both because of what Moscow sees as unpaid debt and the end of a five-year deal between Ukraine and Russia, which prevented Kremlin gas from entering Europe via Ukrainian territory.
The “militarized” flow of energy
The end of the agreement mainly concerns the Kuciurgan power plant in Transnistria, which produces electricity throughout Moldova. The factory was privatized in 2004 and then sold to a Russian state-owned company – a process Chisinau considers illegal.
In December, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said the country was facing an “exceptional situation” and accused Moscow of deliberately “weaponizing” the energy flow alongside Ukrainian and European politicians.
The pro-Western Moldovan government has responded to allegations that it has large unpaid debts to Russian gas giant Gazprom, which terminated its contract with Moldaviegaz – Moldova’s main gas operator – in which the Russian company has a majority stake .
The government claims, citing British and Norwegian auditing firms, that its debt amounts to nearly $8.6 million (€8.3 million), a fraction of what Gazprom accuses it of.
The Moldovan government has implemented a series of measures to reduce energy consumption from January 1, including limiting lighting in public and commercial buildings by at least 30% and limiting the operation of high-energy businesses. energy intensity during off-peak hours.
Recean also said the country was continuing to diversify its natural gas supplies to reduce its dependence on the Kuciurgan plant.
