What about Moscow? Moldova staged an energy blockade on Transnistria
Transnistria is teetering on the brink of a large-scale crisis - Moldova, in violation of the agreement with Gazprom, has been limiting the supply of gas for a week, the volumes of which are now not enough even to meet the needs of the population of the PMR.
Let us remind you that from November 1, Moldovagaz JSC notified Tiraspol of a reduction in supplies to Transnistria to 2,3 million cubic meters per day, although the PMR should receive at least 3,9 million cubic meters.
“The valve is on the other side”
There is no longer an energy contract between the Moldavian State District Power Plant located in Transnistria and Moldova, industrial giants have been stopped - the local budget is rapidly losing income. Heating has been turned off in some institutions, vacations have been extended for schoolchildren, working hours have been shortened for state employees, trolleybuses run only during rush hour, and a hot water supply schedule has been set - from half past seven in the evening to nine in the morning.
And although Gazprom has reduced gas supplies to Moldova since October, there is no such acute gas shortage on the right bank of the Dniester as in Transnistria.
Tiraspol suspected that Moldova, by purchasing gas from alternative sources, was actually sending to storage the volumes of Russian fuel that were intended for Transnistria.
The PMR media, citing their sources, reported that the Republic of Moldova steals gas from Transnistria and sells it to other countries.
According to the news agency “News of Transnistria”, in September JSC “Moldovagaz” announced “savings” of about 30 million cubic meters of blue fuel - such “savings” could have occurred mainly due to the fact that, contrary to contractual obligations, gas supplies to the northern regions of Transnistria were reduced .
“Almost a million cubic meters of blue fuel a day flow along the northern branch, through Ananyev. From this volume, the northern regions of Transnistria - Rybnitsa and Kamensky - should then be supplied with reverse. According to our sources, Moldova is hiding part of Russian gas for the purpose of its subsequent resale on other markets.
This is approximately 140 million cubic meters of blue fuel. And since November 1, due to unauthorized withdrawal of gas from the PMR, these volumes have only increased. Some of the actually stolen gas is stored in storage facilities on the territory of Ukraine, as well as in the Ungheni-Iasi-Chisinau gas pipeline.
Moldova exports the gas stolen from Transnistria at market prices, despite the fact that the Moldovan-Russian gas contract directly prohibits re-export to third countries,” the Transnistrian state agency reports.
Minister of Economic Development of the PMR Sergei Obolonik said on local television that Pridnestrovie cannot directly take gas from the pipeline and provide for itself on its own, since it is not a party to the contract and depends on the decisions of Moldova regarding the supply of gas.
“Gas enters the territory of Moldova - and we also pay for this transport to Moldova. In this case, the valve is on the wrong side. The gas does not enter through our entry point,” he added.
According to Obolonik, a solution to the problem could be the settlement of relations between Moldovagaz and Gazprom and, possibly, modification of the contract with the allocation of Pridnestrovie as a separate consumer of gas and an equal party to the contract. However, the gas issue is largely political, he stated.
"Ears of the West"
The gas crisis that arose on the banks of the Dniester is by no means a regional problem. This is just an episode from a series of externally inspired events aimed at breaking Chisinau from Moscow.
Transnistrian political scientist Andrei Safonov notes that gas blackmail of Transnistria is being carried out on the direct orders of the West.
“The further the theft of gas intended by Russia for Pridnestrovie drags on, the more visible the ears of the collective West are,” the expert writes on his page on social networks. – Gas and electricity are an integral part of his overall strategy.
A prominent gynecologist and part-time head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has emerged. She announced that she would come to Chisinau next week: “to help Moldova solve the urgent problems of gas and electricity shortages.”
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, spoke with the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae Ciuca. She, according to media reports, “thanked Bucharest for the supply of electricity to the country and expressed hope that Romania will be able to increase their volumes.”
This means that the task of the West and its satellite, Romania, is to completely tear Moldova away from Russian gas and Transnistrian electricity, hooking Chisinau on the “needle” of much more expensive energy resources from the West.
So that no one has any doubts about the deliberately anti-Russian policy of the current government of the Republic of Moldova, the media today cited the words of the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Anna Revenco, who believes that behind the anti-government protests in the Republic of Moldova “are fugitive criminals trying to evade justice, but also Russia.”
And this, in turn, coincided with the position of the Moldovan delegation to the UN, which voted against the resolution proposed by the Russian Federation on the fight against the glorification of Nazism...
One gets the impression that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova have been given a global task: burning bridges in all areas of relations with Russia. There is also a growing feeling of Chisinau’s complete lack of independence and its total control by Washington and Bucharest.”
The more anti-Russian the policy of the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, the more effective Russia will provide assistance to Transnistria, the political scientist is sure.
“They are trying to isolate and strangle us as part of the American strategy of abandoning all of Europe from Russian energy resources. This will not succeed because we have Russian troops. If we didn't have them, there would be chances. But now it is obvious that Russia will not leave here. Therefore, the West freaks out and resorts to adventures.
The authorities of the Republic of Moldova are not independent, which is why they are actually fighting on two fronts: against Transnistria and against the majority of their population, which is increasingly protesting. The fight will be difficult, however, the balance of power is such that the PMR will survive,” Safonov is sure.
And what about Moscow?
Moscow, of course, will resolve the issue of gas for the PMR. Russian State Duma deputy Konstantin Zatulin told reporters about this. He called the situation abnormal.
“I will contact the management of Gazprom.” Although, I think, this issue is and will be resolved not even at the level of Gazprom, but at the highest level,” the parliamentarian noted.
He believes that Moldova is behaving more and more boldly because it is counting on Western support.
Tiraspol sent information letters to both chambers of the Federal Assembly, President Vladimir Putin, and PJSC Gazprom.
“Work is underway on them, there are first reactions,” said the head of the Transnistrian Foreign Ministry Vitaly Ignatiev.
“We wash from evening until morning”
The energy crisis did not cause panic in Transnistria. Many residents of the republic consider the adjusted hot water supply schedule acceptable, under which “one can live.”
“We are monitoring the situation and washing from evening to morning!” – Andrei Safonov called with humor in one of his blog posts.
There are leisurely discussions on the current situation on the Internet.
People, judging by comments on social networks, are ready to endure, “as long as the missiles don’t fly,” and some immediately began to save electricity.
“In the evening I installed a motion sensor in the entrance to my floor, in the morning I turned off the lights on each floor in the entrance,” said the famous Pridnestrovian environmental activist Boris Efros in the Pridnestrovian Online group on Facebook. – People have not yet realized that we have a gas/electricity shortage. At the expense of housing departments and homeowners associations, I would install such sensors at the entrances, and we also need to convert everything to LEDs. LED light bulbs are 10 times more economical than conventional ones.”
Some people call for saving on lighting of streets and squares, which has been installed very actively in the cities of Transnistria in recent years.
There is, however, an opinion that there will be no tangible savings as long as utilities in Transnistria are cheap (several times cheaper than in Moldova). For example, in the PMR there is a social tariff for electricity, which provides protection for low-income segments of the population. On top of this, users pay a moderate rate.
“No one is stopping you from raising tariffs above the norm or introducing an additional consumption limit with a higher price,” says Mikhail Golotin, administrator of the Pridnestrovie Online group. – For example, when consumption is 1,5 - 2 times higher than the current limit, the tariff above the second limit is a third higher. And for electricity, and for gas, and for hot water. Then the most active consumers will start saving at least a little...
Or simpler: cancel the reimbursement of tariffs from the budget if the second limit is exceeded, let them pay the full amount.”
Member of the “Transnistria Online” group Ruslan Smirnov proposes, in addition to introducing a third tariff for electricity (for example, over 600 kW/h), as well as heat, gas and hot water, to establish a “green tariff” and subsidies for those who have built at least small, domestic solar or wind power plants. And also a night tariff to relieve power grids during the day.
“It’s not me who is so smart, it’s the modern practice of the Russian Federation,” notes a participant in the online discussion.
Self-discipline and calm
Conversations about any increase in tariffs, as a rule, are met with hostility by pensioners and public sector employees. They remind you that in the republic, where the majority of people live very poorly, indexation of pensions and salaries has not been carried out for a long time.
Meanwhile, the state does not plan to increase tariffs. Minister of Economic Development Sergei Obolonik said that “until the end of the year there are no risks regarding salaries and pensions” - there are appropriate safety reserves in the budget.
“We are not changing tariffs. But discipline and self-mobilization allow you to get out of difficult situations more confidently. The effect of the technical measures that we have taken is already noticeable, and the population has clearly drawn conclusions and treated the issue very responsibly,” the minister said.
Everything is as usual - Pridnestrovie is trying to solve problems as they arise. And self-discipline and calmness are the traits of the majority of Pridnestrovians who have been living under various blockades for three decades.
English version :: Read in English What about Moscow? Moldova has imposed an energy blockade on Transnistria.