Moldova declares a state of emergency so that the government can intervene in the distribution of scarce gas

The Moldovan parliament announced a state of emergency on Friday, which will take effect next Monday. International news agencies write this. Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean declared a state of emergency because Russia is likely to restrict gas supplies to the autonomous region of Transnistria from 2025. There are fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Russian gas flows via a Ukrainian pipeline to the Russian-backed separatist region of Transnistria. There is a power plant there that sells the gas to the rest of the country. Ukraine recently announced that it would not renew the contract with Russia’s Gazprom.

According to Prime Minister Recean, this should not have any consequences for the gas supply to Moldova. Russian natural gas can also reach the country, he says, via a route that passes through Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania.

After the Ukrainian decision became known, Moldova tried with all its might to maintain the influx of Russian gas towards Transnistria. For example, the now dismissed Energy Minister traveled to St. Petersburg to convince Gazprom of an alternative route.

Gazprom believes that Moldova must first repay an outstanding debt on previous deliveries of around 750 million euros. The Moldovan government is said to have repeatedly denied the existence of such a debt.

‘Humanitarian crisis’

Because the talks between Moldova and Russia have failed, Prime Minister Recean fears that Transnistria will effectively no longer receive gas from January 1. According to him, this will lead to a “humanitarian crisis”. Recean states that Moscow aims to “destabilize the situation in Moldova.” He also speaks of “energy blackmail”.

At the end of October, the Moldovan population narrowly opted for a pro-European course with the re-election of President Maia Sandu and a referendum on whether the aspiration for EU membership should be included in the constitution.

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