Moldova Shifts Blame for Gazprom Debt to Transnistria, Claims President
Moldova’s president of the unrecognised Transnistrian Moldovan Republic, Vadim Krasnoselski, has accused MoldovaGaz of attempting to shift the blame for its debts to Gazprom to Tiraspoltransgaz, a Transnistrian gas company.
According to Krasnoselski, MoldovaGaz has simply copied a Gazprom letter, changed the addressee’s name, and sent it to Tiraspoltransgaz, claiming the entire debt is owed by the latter. Krasnoselski called this a “direct lie, a provocation” stating that Gazprom has never made any demands on Transnistria or Tiraspoltransgaz.
In the fall of 2021, Gazprom and MoldovaGaz extended their gas contract for five more years. As a result, Chișinău was required to settle its outstanding debts for past deliveries. Gazprom estimated the debt at $709 million, of which Chișinău officially only acknowledges $8.6 million.
Moldova’s authorities blame Transnistria for the debt, arguing that the region has not paid for gas deliveries in years. Prime Minister Dorin Recean claims the country does not recognize the debt.
Earlier, reports emerged that Moldova’s state district heating plant in Transnistria had switched to coal due to the halt of Russian gas deliveries. The plant’s coal reserves are expected to last for 50 to 52 days, and the central heating in Transnistria has been shut down after Gazprom stopped Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine.
Russia’s gas deliveries to Moldova went through Ukraine. According to Gazprom, Naftogaz refused to extend the contract, leading to the halt of deliveries on January 1.