EU calls on Transnistria to accept aid from Moldova

The European Commission said the authorities of Moldovaʼs separatist region of Transnistria should stop restricting offers from alternative gas sources after Russiaʼs Gazprom halted supplies.

This is reported by Politico.

According to the European Commission, the Moldovan government offered Transnistria energy and humanitarian assistance, but the authorities there did not accept it.

"We encourage Tiraspol to cooperate with Chisinau to resolve the situation in the interests of the local population," said Anita Hipper, the Commissionʼs spokesperson for foreign affairs.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recea accused Moscow of creating a confrontation and said it was provoking an energy and security crisis in the region.

"They have stopped gas supplies to the territories they control, in particular because they have illegally deployed military units there and are not allowing anyone to help the region," he explained.

The Moldovan government is convinced that Moscow refused to export natural gas to Transnistria via available alternative routes in order to increase tensions ahead of the parliamentary elections in Moldova.

Dorin Recan believes that the energy crisis could ultimately lead to the end of Transnistriaʼs self-proclaimed independence.

What happened in Transnistria?

From January 1, 2025, Ukraine stopped the transit of Russian gas, which continued to be received by several European Union states and the unrecognized Transnistria.

At the same time, Moldova did not agree to Russiaʼs demands to continue supplying gas to Transnistria via an alternative route through the Balkans. Therefore, on December 28, 2024, “Gazprom” officially announced that it would stop supplying gas to Transnistria from January due to "non-fulfillment of payment obligations".

Currently, heat and hot water supply to residential buildings in Transnistria has been cut off. In high-rise buildings, gas is available only for cooking. It is supplied from reserves in the gas pipeline system, but only until the pressure in the network drops to a critical level. There are no outages in hospitals and social institutions yet.

Industrial enterprises also suspended operations on January 2 due to a shortage of energy resources. On January 3, they introduced widespread power outages due to excessive energy consumption.

The Transnistrian Republic of Moldova has refused to help Moldova purchase gas on European markets — they are waiting for the Russian “Gazprom” to resume supplies.

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