Transnistria rejects offer to buy gas from Europe, expects Russia to resume supplies
The Russian-occupied Transnistria region of Moldova has rejected Chisinau's offer to help the region purchase gas via European platforms, Vadim Cheban, head of the state energy company Moldovagaz, said on Jan. 3.
Transnistria instead expects Russia's Gazprom will resume deliveries of natural gas, Cheban told the news outlet IPN.
Russia's state-controlled energy giant Gazprom halted gas deliveries to Moldova on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debts by Moldovagaz. The suspension triggered an energy crisis in Transnistria, which now faces industrial collapse due to widespread power outages.
Authorities in Transnistria do not want to purchase gas from the West, claiming this would involve "higher and unstable" energy prices, Cheban said.
Moldova had previously offered to assist Transnistria in securing energy resources via European platforms to mitigate the crisis.
Transnistrian officials rejected the offer and said they believe Gazprom will resume Russian gas supplies, Cheban reported.
Russian troops have occupied Transnistria since the early 1990s. While the rest of Moldova has switched to European energy supplies, the region is heavily dependent on Russian gas.
Although a deal allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine expired on the same day that Russia halted gas supplies to Moldova, Gazprom insists the suspension is due to Moldova's outstanding debt, not transit issues.
Moldovan officials dispute Gazprom's claims regarding outstanding payments, noting an international audit failed to verify the debts.
Sergey Obolonik, the first deputy chairman of the Transnistrian administration, called the energy crisis in the region "grave," saying that shortages have left nearly 75,000 households without gas and another 116,000 with reduced supply.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
