Pro-Russian Breakaway Region of Moldova Faces Longer Power Cuts Amid Gas Crisis
The pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestria, which is not recognized by Moldova or Ukraine, is facing longer periods of rolling power cuts after Russian gas supplies ceased to flow through neighboring Ukraine. The region’s self-styled president, Vadim Krasnoselsky, announced that power cuts would be extended to four hours on Sunday, up from one hour earlier in the week.
The power cuts are a result of the expiration of a transit deal between Russia and Ukraine, which had allowed Russian gas to flow through Ukraine to central and eastern Europe. Transdniestria received gas from Russian giant Gazprom through the pipeline crossing Ukraine, which was used to operate a thermal plant that provided electricity to the region and much of Moldova under the control of the pro-European central government.
Krasnoselsky warned that the power generated is not covering sharply rising demand, and all industries except those producing food have been shut down. The region’s authorities have announced new measures to help residents, especially the elderly, and warned that overnight temperatures would fall to -10 Celsius.
Residents have been told not to put strain on the region’s mobile phone network, and the authorities have warned against using heaters in disrepair after two residents died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a stove. Online pictures showed servicemen loading up trucks with firewood for distribution.
Moldova’s government blames Russia for the crisis and has called on Gazprom to ship gas through the Turkstream pipeline and then through Bulgaria and Romania. Russia denies using gas as a weapon to coerce Moldova, and blames Kyiv for refusing to renew the gas transit deal.
The power cuts are a problem for Moldova particularly because the enclave is home to a power plant that provides most of the power for government-controlled areas of Moldova at a fixed and low price. Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Friday that his country faced a security crisis after Transdniestria imposed the rolling blackouts, but also said the Chisinau government had prepared alternative arrangements, with a mixture of domestic production and electricity imports from Romania.