Moldovan premier says plan to transfer 3 mln cu.m. of gas to Transnistria on loan

Chisinau will allocate 3m cu.m. of gas to the unrecognized Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (TMR) as a loan. This was announced by Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean at a briefing on January 27.

"Today we will approve the transfer of 3 million cubic meters of natural gas on loan for the left bank of the Dniester so that the pressure in the system is maintained," Recean said, his words quoted by Moldovan TV channel PRO-TV.

The second phase of support is scheduled for February 1-10 and includes a €30 million grant from the European Union (EU) to buy natural gas at an anti-crisis price in order to convert it into electricity. The third part of the aid package will be a comprehensive energy resilience program that will last for two years.

Recean said that this comprehensive plan will be finalized in the next two weeks. The prime minister added that the Moldovan government's goal is to put an end to the energy crisis and to help all the citizens.

Gas mask phase: energy crisis worsens in Transnistria

Chisinau blocks fuel supplies to the republic

The day before, on January 26, Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebryan said that in 10-15 days all gas and coal reserves in the DMR will run out, and then the energy crisis in the unrecognized republic will reach a catastrophic level. Chisinau believes that a short-term solution to this situation could be supplies of Ukrainian coal and calls on Tiraspol to refuse Russian aid.

Transnistria's head Vadim Krasnoselsky said on January 24 that the situation against the background of the cessation of gas transit through Ukraine remains grave. At the same time, he appealed to the UN and asked for help for the republic to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. On the same day, DMR residents went to rallies against the cessation of Russian gas supplies to Transnistria.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu, for her part, on January 19 called gas supplies from Russia to the unrecognized republic illegal because they violate the sanctions imposed on Russia.

Gas supplies from Russia to Moldova and Transnistria stopped on January 1 due to Ukraine 's refusal to extend the agreement on transit through its territory and debts of the Moldovan side to Gazprom. In mid-January, it became known that Russia was ready to provide assistance to the DMR and start humanitarian gas supplies.