The European Union criticizes Russia for using gas as a weapon in Moldova News of the war between Russia and Ukraine

Moscow blames Ukraine for halting gas transportation and Moldova for the financial dispute; Chisinau suspects that Russia is seeking to influence the upcoming elections.

The EU foreign policy chief accused Russia of using gas as a weapon against Moldova.

Russia is using “gas as a weapon” in waging a “hybrid war” against the small southeastern European country, Kaja Kallas said late Tuesday, pledging support for the bloc. Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, which has strong links to Moscow, has been without gas since the start of the year amid a financial dispute between Chisinau and Russian state-owned gas giant Gazprom.

“Russia continues to use gas as a weapon, and once again Moldova has become the target of its hybrid war,” Kalas wrote overnight on the social media platform X. “Thanks to the European Union’s support, Moldova remains resilient and well connected to European energy networks,” he added.

Russia continues to use gas as a weapon, and Moldova is once again a target of its hybrid warfare.

Thanks to EU support, Moldova remains resilient and well connected to European energy networks.

In my call with @doreen ricin I reaffirmed our firm solidarity with Moldova.

– Kaja Klass (@kajaklass) January 7, 2025

For decades, Transnistria, a Russian-speaking separatist region along the Ukrainian border, has been receiving Russian gas through Ukraine.

But this path was cut off On New Year’s Day After Kiev refused to extend the transit agreement with Moscow, which continued throughout nearly three years of war between the two countries.

The Moldovan government has blamed the crisis on Gazprom, which it says has refused to supply contracted gas to Transnistria via a tested alternative route through the Balkans.

Gazprom has blamed Moldova’s unpaid debts, which Moscow says total $709 million, for the unrest. But Moldova disputes this debt and says its position is supported by an international review.

Callas said in her post that she reaffirmed the EU’s “steadfast solidarity with Moldova” in a phone call with Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Reciane.

The outage now affects more than 51,000 families in Transnistria. It is estimated that 1,500 residential buildings do not have heating, and the performance of the economy is also under pressure.

Change the system

A thin piece of land Transnistria It has been under the de facto control of pro-Russian forces since the collapse of the Soviet Union, but is internationally recognized as part of Moldova.

Moldova says Moscow falsely blames it for the crisis, which it claims Russia artificially sparked to undermine the government ahead of parliamentary elections this year.

“The meaning of all this is that Russia is creating instability in the region but it is also very important to influence the results of the parliamentary elections in Moldova… They want to form a pro-Russian government…,” Resian said during an online press conference.

Late last year, it was Russia accused To interfere in the elections that saw the victory of pro-EU forces in Moldova A slim majority.