Moldova is sending on Saturday 3 million cubic meters (mcm) of gas to its separatist enclave Transnistria, the first fuel supply to the area since the end of December, when gas transit through Ukraine was halted, a Moldovan industry official said on Friday.
The delivery was due to start in the morning and it is intended to fill the Transnistrian gas system, which is experiencing a shortage of gas to maintain pressure.
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“According to the contract between Moldovagaz and Tiraspoltransgaz, this volume of gas is provided as a debt to be repaid by March 1, 2025,” Moldovagaz CEO Vadim Ceban told Reuters.
Winter shivers
Tens of thousands of people have been without gas or winter heating since January 1, when Russia’s Gazprom suspended gas exports to the region, citing an unpaid Moldovan debt of $709 million that Chisinau does not recognize as valid.
Moscow blames the suspension of gas supplies on pro-Western Moldova and Ukraine, which refused to extend a five-year gas transit deal that expired on December 31, on the grounds that the proceeds help fund Russia’s invasion.
Moldova’s authorities have said that despite a valid contract and the option of an alternative transit route, Gazprom is refusing to supply gas in order to destabilize its government ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections.
These 3 million cubic meters will precede a larger gas supply, paid for by the European Union, which issued €30 million to provide Transnistria and Moldova with both heat and electricity.
Moldova PM Says Russia Troops Must Leave Transnistria to Solve Crisis
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