The Moldovan President visits the area affected by blackouts and blames Russia's Gazprom

On Thursday, the Moldovan president Maia Sandu visited areas that were experiencing rolling power outages and blamed Russian Gas giant Gazprom. The energy crisis in the pro-Russian enclave of Transdniestria is a result of this.

Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson in Moscow, said that Moldova and Ukraine are responsible for the power and heating shortages.

The foreign minister of Finland met with officials in both government-controlled Moldova and the separatist enclave and pledged to help both sides achieve a settlement.

Transdniestria has been receiving Russian gas for over 30 years. However, Ukraine refused to extend the gas transit agreement past New Year's Day.

Sandu, the leader of her ex-Soviet country's push to join the European Union visited Varnita. Varnita is one of fourteen villages in a region controlled by Moldovan government, but powered by separatist enclave.

"We are aware that people are experiencing difficult times. "But people should know these problems are created by Gazprom," Sandu stated.

"The problem does not lie in Ukraine's refusal to allow Russian gas through. There is a different route through (Turkey). Gazprom, however, has decided to stop supplying gas."

Moldova accuses Moscow de trying to destabilise the government of Moldova ahead of this year’s parliamentary election.

Peskov, in Moscow, decried the “true crisis” in the region that has been receiving Russian gas for many years.

He said: "Trasdniestria has lost this opportunity as a result the decision taken by the authorities of Ukraine and Moldova."

Transdniestria officials said that blackouts will be reduced to just five hours per day from Friday, ahead of the weekend cold snap which is expected to bring temperatures down below zero Celsius.

Vitaly Ignatev said on Russian television that a solution must be found "as soon as possible", either by restoring the gas flow through Ukraine, or by routing it through the Turkstream pipe via Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania.

Gazprom said that any gas shipment through Turkey would be contingent on the payment of arrears in Moldova, which it described as $709,000,000. Moldova disputes the figure.

Gas supplies will keep a thermal power plant in operation that supplies electricity to Transdniestria and provides the majority of power in areas under government control in Moldova.

Ignatiev denied any notion that Moldova offered to help the area. Sandu and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy both said that they were discussing on Wednesday the possibility of supplying Ukrainian coke to keep the power station running.

Transdniestria separated from Moldova at the end of Soviet rule, and fought with the newly independent country in 1992. The dispute has not been resolved.

Elina Valtonen, the Finnish Foreign Minister, is currently chair of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which has been leading diplomatic efforts for many years.

Valtonen said to reporters in Chisinau, that Finland will focus on encouraging dialogue with both sides. (Reporting and writing by Alexnder Tanas; editing by Deepababington).

(source: Reuters)