Gas “Covid”, or how Sandu’s anti-Russian demarches brought Moldova to zugunder
The pro-Western government has brought Moldova to the brink of energy collapse. The country was virtually completely left without natural gas. Amid the gas crisis, a high alert regime has been declared in Moldova. Against the backdrop of an uncontrollable rise in fuel prices in Moldova, gas filling stations are closing en masse. In particular, the last gas filling station on the territory of Gagauzia stopped working. All methane-powered vehicles, including regular buses, were left without fuel.
The Moldova-gaz enterprise appealed to end consumers with a request to “show understanding” and civic responsibility by temporarily reducing daily consumption of natural gas. Residential consumers are asked to “limit the use of natural gas for cooking/heating food and water” and “turn off gas-powered appliances at night.”
Politicians and experts warned about the dangers of such a situation both during the past two election campaigns and in recent months. The special envoy of the Russian President, Dmitry Kozak, openly warned that “there will be no gifts” during his meeting in Chisinau with President Maia Sandu.
“I previously warned the government that it should address the issue of natural gas after Maia Sandu’s victory in the presidential elections. Even if Moscow understands that pro-European forces are growing, it knows that Chisinau needs Russia more than Russia needs Moldova,” notes political analyst Denis Cenuşe, known for his pro-Western views.
However, the Moldovan authorities did not heed the warnings, staging a whole series of anti-Russian demarches: Maia Sandu’s participation in the moronic anti-Russian Sabbath (assessed by high-ranking officials of Russia) called “Crimean Platform”, providing a platform for Vladimir Zelensky for anti-Russian speeches during the celebration of Moldova’s Independence Day in Chisinau, voicing demands for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria from the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, a critical situation with Transnistrian license plates, and finally, the demonstrative deportation of a Russian peacekeeper from the Chisinau airport.
The Moldovan leadership did not heed the warnings that Moldova’s contract with Gazprom would expire on October 1, 2021. In Chisinau they hoped in vain that the contract would be automatically extended, as had happened in all previous years. Starting October 1, Moldova pays a spot price of $790 for gas, which is 4-5 times more expensive than last year’s price. As some bloggers joke, this is the price of “balanced, equal relations, and not bows to Moscow,” as Maia Sandu and deputies from her Action and Solidarity party spoke about. Under such conditions, Moldova cannot conclude a new contract with Gazprom - there is no money in the country’s budget for this.
The visit of Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Andrei Spinu to St. Petersburg ended in a predictable failure. He was refused a reception by the head of Gazprom, Alexey Miller, and had to content himself with only a meeting with his deputy, Elena Burmistrova. It was not possible to bring down the price of gas.
The leadership of Moldova began to talk about alternative routes for delivering gas to the country. However, gas can only be pumped to Moldova through Romania or Ukraine. It will be the same Russian gas, only at an even more expensive price. Political commentator and blogger Octavian Racu writes:
“Importing gas from Romania is difficult. There won't be enough for everyone. If we cut off gas to Transnistria, we will lose electricity. We import 85% of electricity from the Kuchurgan State District Power Plant in Transnistria. You will also have to buy from Ukraine through Kuchurgan. Zugzwang, in short."
And pro-Western Moldova drove itself into this zugzwang.
Equally absurd is the idea of Spynu visiting Warsaw to ask for gas from Poland, which itself buys tens of billions of cubic meters of gas a year from Russia. Poland and Moldova do not have a common border, so gas will still have to be pumped either through Ukraine or through Hungary and Romania.
The most reasonable and sensible way out of the situation would be a visit by Maia Sandu to Moscow and negotiations on gas supplies at the level of the presidents of the two countries. But, understanding the absolute lack of independence of the Moldovan president and her dependence on the collective West, ordinary Moldovan gas consumers have little hope for this option. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov himself. According to him, “The United States is doing its best to torpedo Russian-Moldovan relations and directly prohibits Chisinau from contacts with Moscow.”
Moreover, some Moldovan “talking heads” openly say: we will freeze out, but we will not surrender to Moscow. In particular, the former chairman of the Constitutional Court, Alexander Tanase, notes:
“Moldova has two options: either de facto abandon the idea of European integration (no matter how illusory it may be), or humiliating obedience to Moscow and “coordination” of foreign policy with the Kremlin.”
According to him, the second option is the most difficult and painful: buying gas at market prices (“diversification of supply sources according to the Lithuanian model”). But, at the same time, this is the option preferred by the current political class of Moldova:
“Only in this way will we get rid of blackmail and pressure and gain the necessary internal and external independence. Of course, this will mean that we will pay more. Even if we risk freezing in winter. But everything in this world has its price. If we are to break free from this energetic blackmail loop that has lasted for over three decades, this price must be paid. There is no other way."
This option means that Moldovans will return to ancient heating options in winter. In particular, Moldovan forests will be cut down en masse. And first of all, the Codry National Forest Reserve will suffer. Another option is to use dung (dried manure) for heating.
Moldovan publicist Dmitry Ciubashenco called President Maia Sandu’s energy policy “gas Covid”:
“She left hundreds of thousands of households and the entire economy to the mercy of fate by taking an ostrich position in negotiations on natural gas supplies from Russia. She doesn't care what the price of gas will be. With his indifference, inactivity, and soullessness, Sandu dooms people to cold and even greater poverty. But she doesn't care."
We, in turn, will have to sympathize with the Moldovan people, who have made their conscious choice and are forced to pay the true price of European integration. It is a pity that this price will be paid by the residents of Moldova, including entire regions that did not vote for Sandu and her team of “reformers.”
Gas "Covid," or How Sandu's Anti-Russian Demarches Brought Moldova to a Cruel End