CHISINAU, April 12. /TASS/. Moldova (excluding Transnistria) reduced Russian gas consumption by 56% in March compared to the same period in 2022, the press service of Moldovagaz announced on Wednesday.

"The volume of natural gas consumed in March of this year reached 64.7 mln cubic meters, which is 56.7% less than the same period in 2022," the statement said. According to the company, consumption declined by 31.1% compared to February 2023. As of March 31, payments for end consumers reached 89.1% of the volume of deliveries.

Gas tariffs in Moldova have jumped 7-fold since the end of 2021, to 29.2 leu ($1.6) per cubic meter of gas. Inflation accelerated, reaching 30% in 2022, triggering major protests in the country.