On a cold morning in Moldova’s capital, 39-year-old postal worker Petru Murzin is bracing for a tough winter as he fears growing energy shortages will leave many Moldovans with “no heating, no lights”.
Their concerns are not unfounded.
On January 1, Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom is set to halt gas supplies to the EU candidate country over a reported $709 million debt for past supplies, a figure disputed by Moldova’s pro-Western government. , which has accused Moscow of manufacturing weapons. Energy as a political tool to destabilize the country.
“I think we have entered a crisis that is quite difficult to solve… which worries me very much,” Murzin told The Associated Press in Chisinau. “It’s one thing for prices to rise, but it’s a completely different thing when there is no gas at all.”
The closure will stop the flow of gas to the country’s largest Kusiurgan power plant, located in the separatist pro-Russian Transnistria region. The gas-fired plant generates electricity that supplies electricity to a significant part of Moldova.
“There will be no heating, no lights,” Murzin said. “We are entering a very difficult year.”
Transnistria declared state of emergency
Transnistria, which broke away after a short war in 1992 and is not recognized by most countries, also declared a state of emergency earlier in December over fears the region would not receive gas supplies. Most of Transnistria’s 470,000 people speak Russian as their first language and about 200,000 are Russian citizens.
On 13 December, the Parliament of Moldova voted in favor of imposing a state of emergency in the energy sector, as the impending crisis threatened to leave the former Soviet republic without sufficient energy this winter, raising fears that it would A humanitarian crisis could arise in Transnistria, where the impact of the gas cut could be felt immediately.
Many observers have predicted that growing energy shortages could force residents of Transnistria to travel to Moldova in search of infrastructure to cope with winter, a season in which temperatures throughout the country regularly drop below zero degrees Celsius. Goes below.
Cristian Cantir, Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, said Moscow would likely escalate tensions between Chisinau and the region’s de facto capital, Tiraspol, in order to “deplete Moldova’s already strained resources over a potential humanitarian crisis in Transnistria.” Trying to take advantage of. ,
“This could create fears of a violent conflict among Moldovan voters, and boost pro-Russian parties that would accuse Chisinau of being responsible for increased gas and electricity prices, which would be a major campaign issue” Before the country’s parliamentary meeting, he said, elections in 2025.
Chisinau takes steps
The unprecedented situation prompted Chisinau last week to implement a series of energy-saving measures starting on January 1, including reducing lighting in public and commercial buildings by at least 30% and reducing lighting during off-peak hours. This includes energy-intensive businesses operating during.
“We will probably have to save electricity until we have a solution,” said Nicoleta Negu, who is from Moldova but works in Germany. “I hope we will consider this seriously and not waste energy on non-useful things.”
Following Gazprom’s announcement of halting gas flows, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Racine accused Moscow of using energy “as a political weapon” and said his government does not recognize the debt owed by the Russian energy giant. which they have “invalidated”. International Audit.”
“This decision once again confirms the Kremlin’s intention to leave residents of the Transnistrian region without light and heat in the middle of winter,” he said.
For Iuliana, a 30-year-old Chisinau resident who did not want to give her surname, she will not be able to do her online work because of power cuts, which can also be destabilizing when heating is shut off in the middle of winter in the country. 2.5 million people.
“We are scared, but we are happy that there is no snow and the temperature is not so low and we can probably turn on the heating only in the evening if we work in the office,” he said. “But I work from home and this will directly impact me.”
He also said that Moldova has faced several crises in recent years, “but with regard to electricity and gas, this is the first time we are facing this,” he said.
‘Energy blackmail’
Moldovan President Maia Sandu criticized Russia on Monday for Gazprom’s decision, saying the country has gas supplies “for the summer season” and that measures would be taken “to ensure uninterrupted power supply.” Plans are also being made to provide humanitarian aid. Resident of Transnistria.
“The Kremlin is again using energy blackmail in an attempt to destabilize the situation, influence the 2025 parliamentary elections, and undermine our European visit,” he said. “It is important to remain united, to show solidarity and to believe in Moldova and its people. And to use energy rationally.”
Moldova has repeatedly claimed that Russia is waging a war against the country by interfering in elections, funding anti-government protests, and running a widespread disinformation campaign to try to topple the government and derail the country’s EU aspirations. Waging a huge “hybrid war”.
The Kusiurgan plant was privatized by Transnistrian authorities in 2004 and later sold to a Russian state-owned company, but Chisinau does not recognize privatization. On Monday, Riccion asked the Justice Minister to review the nationalization law, in order to potentially recover “forcibly expropriated strategic assets.”
Citing the findings of British and Norwegian audit firms, Moldova claims its debt is closer to $8.6 million, a fraction of the claim made by the Russian energy giant. Gazprom said in a statement on Saturday that it had reserved the right to take further action, including terminating its contract with Moldova’s main gas operator Moldovagaz, in which the Russian company has a majority stake.
In late 2022, a few months after Russia fully invaded neighboring Ukraine, Moldova suffered major power outages following Russian attacks on Ukraine, linked to the Kusiurgan plant.
When the war next door began, Moldova was completely dependent on Moscow for natural gas, but has since placed an emphasis on diversifying and expanding its energy sources, and now on obtaining gas from other European markets. Is dependent.
Postal worker Murzin expects to see a greater number of people crossing the border from Transnistria once the reduction comes.
“I think there will be a queue of cars for several kilometers at the border,” he said. “A lot of people will come here hoping for summer.”