Moldovan pro-Russian separatists extend state of emergency over gas supply cut

(Patria) - Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria, backed by Moscow, extended a state of emergency on Friday for another month as it grapples with an energy crisis after losing access to Russian gas supplies that had supported its economy for decades, Reuters reported.

Russian Gazprom halted gas exports to Transnistria on January 1, citing unpaid Moldovan debts of $709 million. Moldova disputes the debt and says Moscow is planning the crisis to undermine its pro-Western government.

Russia had been supplying gas to Transnistria via Ukraine, and Moscow blames Kyiv for the crisis, which refused to extend the gas transit agreement that expired on December 31 due to the Russian invasion. Moldova, which supports Ukraine, says Moscow could use an alternative route to continue supplies.

Residents and businesses in Transnistria, which broke away from Moldova in the final days of Soviet rule and has long relied exclusively on Russian gas, have since faced gas supply interruptions, constant power outages, and water supply problems.

The separatist authorities said on Telegram that residents would have their electricity cut off for five hours on Friday and that the state of emergency would be in effect at least until February 8.

The official government news channel on Telegram said daily power outages would remain at five hours over the weekend. It also said that several factories, including a machine-building plant in Tiraspol, would be allowed to operate at night when the load on the power grid is lower.

Moldova's pro-European government accuses Russia of artificially creating an energy crisis to destabilize the country ahead of parliamentary elections this summer.

Central government spokesman Daniel Voda said the authorities had proposed several solutions to help Transnistria "for a peaceful, stable and prosperous common future."

"There are solutions, but... the Transnistrian authorities refuse any dialogue and spread false information, blaming everyone except those who created this crisis and turned off the tap. The energy blackmail organized by Russia in Transnistria must stop," Voda said.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Gazprom could deliver gas to Transnistria via an alternative route - the TurkStream pipeline.

Transnistria blames Moldova and Ukraine for the energy crisis it is mired in and denies that Moldova has made any proposal to help alleviate the crisis.

A Transnistrian official, cited by the official news channel, said on Wednesday that the amount of stored gas in the breakaway region would be sufficient for the next 24 days.

Transnistria fought a brief war against Moldovan government forces in 1992 and still hosts 1,500 Russian troops on a small territory along the border with Ukraine.