The Moscow-backed separatist Transnistria region in Moldova extended a state of emergency by another month on Monday as it struggles to deal with an energy crisis after losing access to Russian gas supplies that have sustained its economy for decades, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Russian company „Gazprom“ stopped gas supplies to Transnistria on January 1, saying Moldova owed it $709 million. Moldova disputes the amount of the debt and claims that Moscow created the crisis to undermine the pro-Western government.
Russia supplied gas to Transnistria via Ukraine, and Moscow blames Kiev for the crisis because the Ukrainian side refused to extend the gas transit deal, which expired on December 31 due to the Russian invasion. Moldova, which backs Ukraine, says Moscow could use an alternative route to continue supplies. Residents and businesses in Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova in the final days of Soviet rule and has long relied entirely on Russian gas, have long faced gas outages, power outages and water supply problems. Separatist authorities said on the Telegram messaging app that there would be a five-hour power outage today and that a state of emergency would be extended until February 8. A Transnistrian official said on Wednesday that gas storage facilities in the separatist region were sufficient for the next 24 days. Transnistria fought a brief war against Moldovan government forces in 1992 and Russian troops remain stationed in the small territory bordering Ukraine.