Transnistria head travels to Russia for talks amid energy crisis, Russian state media claims

Vadim Krasnoselsky, the head of Moldova's Russian-controlled region of Transnistria, held talks in Moscow regarding the region’s energy crisis, Russian state news agency TASS claimed on Jan. 14, citing sources within Transnistria's administration.

TASS did not specify whom Krasnoselsky met with during his visit.

The crisis began when Russia’s state-controlled energy giant Gazprom halted gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debts by Moldovagaz. The gas suspension has led to widespread power outages in Transnistria, pushing the region toward industrial collapse.

Transnistrian authorities previously rejected an offer from Chisinau to help purchase gas via European platforms.

While Moldova has transitioned to European energy supplies, Transnistria remains heavily reliant on Russian gas. Russian troops have been stationed in the region since the early 1990s.

Gazprom’s suspension coincided with the expiration of a deal allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine. However, Gazprom attributed the cutoff to Moldova's purported debt rather than transit issues. Moldovan officials dispute these claims, pointing to an international audit that failed to verify the alleged debt.

Will Transnistria’s gas crisis lead to its collapse and reintegration into Moldova?

By halting natural gas supplies to Moldova on Jan. 1, Russia created an unprecedented economic crisis in the Russian-occupied part of the country — Transnistria. The crisis prompted a question: will the breakaway region, occupied by Russia since 1992, survive without Russian gas? Free-of-charge Ru…

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov