The leader of the separatist Transnistria region in Moldova, gripped by a crisis in electricity and heating supplies, has announced that natural gas reserves will run out within days, and called on the central government to end "artificial delays" and deliver new quantities of natural gas, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
However, the Moldovan prime minister pointed out that the situation can only be resolved if Russian gas company "Gazprom" resumed gas supplies to Moldova or the pro-Russian separatist region agreed to pay for supplies from European markets.
Transnistria, which separated from Moldova when the Soviet Union collapsed, has long received gas through Ukraine, but because of the nearly three-year war with Moscow, the authorities in Kiev refused to renew the agreement on transit through Ukrainian territory.
Natural gas for Moldova was also used to power a thermal power plant that produced electricity for most of the areas under Moldovan control.
The self-proclaimed president of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, said that many of the 350,000 residents of his region are falling ill or dying in fires and carbon monoxide poisoning while trying to heat their homes in winter conditions.
"In a few days, the last gas in the pipes will run out. "Without them, the situation will become very difficult," he told Russian television station Rossiya 24, according to a summary of his remarks posted on the regional parliament's website. "Without gas, it will take two to three months to restore heat supply to residential buildings." The region, he said, had agreed to the Moldovan authorities' conditions, including the purchase of more expensive European gas. "Five days have passed, and we see nothing from Moldova except groundless accusations," he said. "Moldova is artificially slowing down the ball to exacerbate the humanitarian situation to the limit."
Krasnoselski previously appealed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and several other world leaders to help find a way out of the energy crisis.
The region is subject to a power blackout, with electricity cut off for four to five hours every day.
Hundreds of residents gathered at checkpoints in government-controlled areas demanding that the authorities "turn on the gas".
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recan said in a social media address that only the two solutions he proposed could lead to the restoration of gas flows to the rebel region.
"The Moldovan government wants the region to have blue fuel," he said. "But the Kremlin does not want to resume supplies. From there, they want to create a conflict between the people on the east bank of the Dniester River and those on the other side."
Government officials said that no money had come from Transnistria to cover the cost of buying natural gas. Moldova has long been in conflict with Russia; Chisinau has condemned Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and accused the Kremlin of trying to overthrow the Moldovan government.
"Gazprom" has indicated that it cannot resume gas supplies to Moldova until the authorities repay $709 million in unpaid debts, an amount disputed by the government.