MADRID Jan. 1 () –
The breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria has cut off heating and water supplies in the middle of winter after Russian gas company Gazprom cut off supplies of natural gas through Ukraine as its transit agreements expired.
The company Tirasteploenergo has reported in a statement that the supply has been cut off as of 7:00 a.m. (local time), although sanitary facilities are exempt. For this reason, it has urged citizens to take a series of measures, such as sealing windows and doors to alleviate the cold.
For its part, the Tiraspoltransgaz company has announced gas cuts for consumers. The region’s largest power station has started operating on coal instead of gas to generate electricity, TSV Pridnestrovie has reported.
Transnistrian authorities declared a state of emergency last month to manage the foreseeable crisis. Moldova, one of the countries most affected by this contract, will also have to take measures to reduce its gas consumption by a third.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu previously accused Gazprom of causing an energy crisis and alleged that it refuses to supply gas through an alternative route. Russia supplies Moldova with about 2 billion cubic meters of gas per year through Ukraine.
Transnistria, whose population is mostly Russian and Ukrainian, has gained prominence in recent months after the outbreak of war in Ukraine due to its links with Russia and its important geostrategic position. The area has been used to a greater extent by Moscow to put pressure on the Moldovan government.
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