"An important task now is to help Moldova overcome its energy challenges and prevent Moscow from stirring up social tensions. ... We are ready to help," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 8.
"Russian propaganda tries to create a story in which Moldova becomes a ‘problematic actor,’ although the government has proposed clear solutions to avoid the crisis," Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda said on Jan. 6.
The electricity supply system in the Russian-occupied Moldovan region of Transnistria is under risk of collapse after the halt of Russian gas flow, a high-ranking official of Moldova’s Energy Ministry warned in a Facebook post on Jan. 5.
Some 1,500 high-rise buildings in Transnistria are currently without heating and hot water, and nearly 72,000 homes are without gas.
"Russia is revealing the inevitable outcome for all its allies — betrayal and isolation," Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Jan. 3.
Moldova had previously offered to assist the Russian-occupied region in securing gas via European platforms to mitigate the energy crisis. Transnistrian officials rejected the offer, saying they believe Gazprom will resume Russian gas supplies.
Moldova has offered to help Transnistria purchase gas through European platforms. Vadim Cheban, head of Moldovagaz, said on Jan. 2 that Chisinau is ready to assist Transnistrian authorities in securing energy resources on market terms to mitigate the crisis.
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean has criticized the Kremlin for using energy as a "political weapon."
Russian Gazprom's decision to halt gas supplies to Moldova resulted in a heating outage in the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria, prompting Chisinau to seek alternative sources of electricity.
Ukraine has repeatedly warned that it would not extend the gas transit agreement when it expires at the end of 2024 because it did not want to finance Russia's war.
Russia's energy giant Gazprom claimed the decision was related to Moldova's outstanding debt, not problems with transit via Ukraine.
The country's defense strategy seeks to increase spending to 1% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030.
"Moldova condemns these acts and stands in full solidarity with Ukraine," Moldovan President Maia Sandu said.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu begins her second term in office on Dec. 24 in unprecedented circumstances. Russian meddling in domestic affairs is widespread, and the Kremlin makes clear their position of not acknowledging Sandu as a legitimate president of her own country. Sandu also begins her term amid an energy
Moldova enacted a state of emergency, as the country gears up for an energy crisis at the start of 2025 following the end of Ukraine's obligations to transport Russian gas through its territory. Moldova, and especially the country's breakaway region of Transnistria, will be hit the hardest following the end
Moldova's parliament on Dec. 13 voted to introduce a 60-day-long state of emergency starting Dec. 16 over the expected halt of Russian gas transit via Ukraine.
SkyUp chose the Chisinau Airport in Moldova as it is the closest international hub to Ukraine.
Leader of Moldova's Russian-occupied Transnistria region, Vadim Krasnoselsky, signed a decree on Dec. 9 introducing a 30-day economic state of emergency due to the risk of Russian gas supply disruptions, Newsmaker media reported.
"We strongly condemn the violation of Moldova’s airspace by Russia’s missiles and drones targeting Ukraine’s critical infrastructure today," Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi said.
The Moldovan Foreign Ministry protested to the Russian ambassador against "Russia's illegal interference in the elections and referendum in Moldova to distort their results, undermine and delegitimize the democratic process in Moldova."
Moldovan authorities found two Russian drones in the Kaushan and Rishkan districts on Nov. 10.
The Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that prior to the first round of voting and the constitutional referendum on European Union accession, the Moldovan authorities "unreasonably" denied accreditation to five international observers from Russia.
"This is not a final defeat, it is only a lost battle," pro-Russian political newcomer Alexandr Stoianoglo said three days after the vote.
"She is not, as far as we understand, the president of her country because, in the country itself, the majority of the population did not vote for her," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
In a victory for pro-EU factions in Moldova and beyond, incumbent President Maia Sandu defeated her challenger, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the country's Nov. 3 presidential runoff. Sandu won on Nov. 3 by a margin of about 55.4% to 44.6%, with 99.9% of votes counted. "We proved that
With nearly 99% of votes counted, pro-EU incumbent President Maia Sandu held a 9-point lead over Alexandr Stoianoglo, according to Moldova's election commission.
Moldovan officials have warned that Russia might orchestrate disruptive activities, including potential bomb threats, at polling stations across multiple Western nations during Moldova's presidential runoff election on Nov. 3.
Moldovan presidential candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo claimed he would continue supporting Ukraine, a statement dismissed by incumbent President Maia Sandu during a presidential debate on Oct. 27.
Although Russian interference has taken many forms in Moldova since its independence in 1991, the election and referendum results on Sunday shocked many pro-European Moldovans. Despite opinion polls showing clear support for entrenching the desire for EU accession into the country's constitution, the success of the EU referendum came down
Moscow funneled a total of $39 million in a scheme led by a pro-Russian oligarch aimed at influencing election results by paying ordinary citizens to vote against closer ties with the West, the country's national police chief said on Oct. 24.
Moldovans headed to the polls on Oct. 20 to elect their next head of state and vote on the future of the country’s European Union integration. With over 99% of the votes counted on Monday, the “yes” vote edged ahead at 50.43%, while the “no” camp, which had
Moldova's referendum on joining the EU, which took place alongside elections in the country, occurred under "unprecedented interference" by Russia and its proxies, European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said.
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