Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria eases power outages By Reuters

(Reuters) – Authorities in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria said on Saturday that energy conservation measures had allowed them to ease restrictions caused by the suspension of Russian gas supplies, while the blackout lasted. it decreases.

Moldova’s pro-European central government has renewed its criticism of Russia, saying it has caused a power crisis and now wants to present itself as the power that will save the divided region.

Transdniestria, which broke away from Moldova at the end of the Soviet Union, depends on Russian gas sent through Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities, locked in a 34-month conflict with Russia, have refused to extend the transport agreement through 2025.

Russian gas giant Gazprom (MCX:) has said it will not send gas to Moldova through other routes, citing what it describes as Moldova’s debts of $709 million. Moldova, which has condemned the attack of Russia to Ukraine, disputes that figure.

Transdniestria’s pro-Russian leaders, reported by the official Telegraph channel, said the daily blackout would be reduced to three hours on Sunday. The blackout, eight hours earlier this week, was cut to five hours on Friday.

“With the current good consumption patterns, Transdniestria has enough gas until the end of January,” the channel quoted First Deputy Sergei Obolonik as saying.

Many factories have turned on at night, when the power grid is under less pressure, but officials say that one plant, a cement manufacturer in the town of Rybnitsa, has been closed.

The most important steel mill in the area was also closed in the town.

Russian gas supplied to the region supplied the thermal power plant for Transdniestria and the needs of many of the regions maintained by the government.

MOLDOVA HAS INDEPENDENCE WITH RUSSIA

The press secretary of the central government of Moldova, Daniel Voda, said that the suggestions that Russia may stop and eventually send gas to Transdniestria does not change Moscow’s responsibility for the energy problem.

“Every time Russia wants to show its power, it cuts off important resources and turns people into hostages,” Voda told the Nokta news agency.

“This is a human experiment that shows that Moscow does not care about the well-being and safety of citizens. … No one deserves to live in fear and cold.”

Moldova’s government has accused Russia of creating artificial power struggles to destabilize the country ahead of this summer’s parliamentary elections. It has offered to help Transnistria deal with power shortages, but the breakaway region’s leaders have refused to accept official proposals.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu said Gazprom could supply gas to Transdniestria through another route, the Turkstream pipeline through Turkey and Bulgaria and Romania.

Transdniestria fought a brief war against Moldovan government forces in 1992 and still has 1,500 Russian troops in the small territory that neighbors Ukraine.