Russian Embassy in Moldova calls Kiev's stoppage of gas transit cynical

Ukraine's decision to stop the transit of Russian gas through its territory in winter is cynical, and the Moldovan authorities are ignoring their problems in relations with Gazprom, which has led to an energy crisis in Transnistria. The Russian Embassy in Moldova said on January 6.

"We observe with alarm the rapidly deteriorating situation on the Left Bank due to the absence of Russian gas in Transnistria from January 1, 2025. It is necessary to realize that the deliberate ignoring by the Chisinau authorities of numerous problems in relations with Gazprom is the main reason for the current crisis situation in the region," the diplomatic mission said in its Telegram channel.

It noted that the destructive policy of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, whose powers expired on May 20, 2024, only further intensifies the energy crisis in Moldova. Due to Kiev's explicit refusal to prolong the gas transit agreement with Gazprom, the company was unable to supply this fuel through the Ukrainian territory, including to the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (TMR), after January 1, 2025.

The diplomatic mission pointed out that stopping gas pumping in winter is a cynical decision on the part of Kiev, which was taken, among other things, to leave Transnistria without heat and water.

The embassy also drew attention to the attempts of the Moldovan and Ukrainian media supporting the authorities to shift the blame for the energy crisis on Russia in order to undermine the confidence of the DMR residents in it. The Russian diplomatic mission emphasized that such actions would not go unanswered.

The embassy added that the situation with gas in the DMR was artificially created by Ukraine and the collective West, while the protection of compatriots is Russia's absolute priority in its foreign policy.

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Earlier in the day, the head of the Transnistrian government, Alexander Rosenberg, said that 122 settlements in the unrecognized republic had been cut off from gas supply. Gas is supplied to multi-storey houses only in small quantities so that people can cook food, and gas stoves can be used in more than 118 thousand apartments.

Centralized heating in the DMR was cut off on January 1 after Russian gas supplies to Moldova stopped. That day from 07:00 (08:00 Moscow time) the heat supply for heating and hot water supply to residents was stopped.

The press service of Gazprom said on December 28 that it would stop gas supplies to Moldova due to non-payment of debts by Chisinau. At the same time, Prime Minister Dorin Recean did not recognize the debt and threatened to sue.

"Gazprom" and "Moldovagaz" signed a five-year contract for gas supplies in the fall of 2021. It provided for Chisinau to pay the debt for supplies in the past few years. The entire amount was estimated at $709 million, of which Chisinau officially recognizes only $8.6 million.