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In the capital of Transnistria, a self-declared microstate sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, the festive New Year’s lights have gone dark ahead of schedule. The region, which was once proud and went its own way, is now burning wood to keep warm through hours-long blackouts as winter bites.
The crunch began when Moscow stopped pumping natural gas through pipelines in Ukraine to Europe. Transnistrian officials have declared a state of emergency, saying they are facing “not only an energy crisis, but a humanitarian one.” Analysts say this understates the problem, which has raised questions about the future of the de facto state.
“This is an existential question (for Transnistria),” said Vadim Pistrinciuc, director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (ISI), a think tank in Moldova. “It’s a very isolated region… We hope that they see the impotence of this type of unrecognized state.”
Home to more than 300,000 people, mostly Russian speakers, Transnistria celebrated Orthodox Christmas on Tuesday. But the usually festive occasion was interrupted by the region’s self-proclaimed government announcing daily eight-hour power outages. The crunch began when Moscow stopped pumping natural gas through Ukraine to Europe. Transnistrian officials have declared a state of emergency, saying they are facing “not only an energy crisis, but a humanitarian one.”
The main cause of the crisis is the stoppage of Russian gas through Ukraine, which was used to supply gas to Moldova and other European countries. Ukraine said it would not renew the agreement with Russia, and Moscow is not sending gas through other routes. Transnistria is struggling to cope with the loss of energy supplies, and the region’s leaders are at a loss for what to do.
Russia could provide gas to Transnistria but is choosing not to. Although it can no longer transit gas through Ukraine, other pipelines are available under the Black Sea via Turkey, albeit at a higher cost than before. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the situation is “critical,” but added that “the decisions of Ukraine and the Moldovan authorities” had “deprived” Transnistria of natural gas.
The crisis has also raised questions about the future of Moldova and its relations with Russia. Moldova, which was once heavily dependent on Russian gas, used to buy energy from Russia but after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it found alternative suppliers. Transnistria did not, and is now facing the consequences of its reliance on Russian gas.
The crisis has also emboldened Russia to intensify its efforts to destabilize Moldova, with Soviet-style rhetoric being used to sway public opinion. Pistrinciuc said he hoped the narratives did not hold true among Transnistrians, but instead, the crisis might make some confront the reality of their situation.
