“Humanitarian crisis” in Transnistria after Russian gas cutoff

Transnistria, the pro-Russian region of Moldova, is in a “humanitarian and energy crisis,” a local official warned on Wednesday. A week ago, the supply of Russian gas to the separatist region was stopped.

The small area, which officially has less than half a million inhabitants, has escaped the control of Moldovan authorities since a war in 1992, after the fall of the Soviet Union.

The Russian gas giant Gazprom supplied Transnistria through the local supplier Tiraspoltransgaz, without this company paying for the deliveries. The territory sent the bills to Chisinau, causing Moldova’s debt to Gazprom to steadily rise. Due to the dispute over the payment of the debt, which according to Moscow amounts to 700 million dollars but is estimated at 9 million by Chisinau, Russia turned off the gas tap on January 1.

Since then, Transnistrian authorities have had to cut power twice a day for four hours and many factories have been shut down.

A senior official in charge of economic issues, Sergei Obolonik, told a meeting on Wednesday that the area is facing not only “an energy but also a humanitarian crisis.” According to him, there is only a gas reserve for 24 days. Power consumption has now exploded as residents now use electric heaters, Obolonik said.

The rest of Moldova is currently spared from interruptions in gas supplies, partly thanks to help from neighboring Romania and after drastic measures to limit consumption.

By Editor

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