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15 Jan, 13:22

Transnistria’s head denies Moldovan president’s statement about tensions in republic

"Transnistria will cope with the problems, it has never been and will never be a hotbed of escalation," Vadim Krasnoselsky said

CHISINAU, January 15. /TASS/. Transnistrian President Vadim Krasnoselsky has denied the statement by Moldovan leader Maia Sandu that the energy crisis in Transnistria can lead to an escalation of tensions in the region.

"As for the escalation that Ms. Sandu is talking about. How do you imagine this, gentlemen? It is difficult for us, we have humanitarian problems in this area, but we are coping with the situation. How can it spread to the right bank? In what way? And why? This is outright speculation," the Transnistrian leader said at a press conference following his talks in Moscow.

"Transnistria will cope with the problems, it has never been and will never be a hotbed of escalation. Neither in this nor in any other situation," he added.

Earlier, Sandu said that the energy crisis was specially created to destabilize the situation in Moldova.

Moldova and especially Transnistria found themselves in a very difficult situation after gas supply lines from Russia through Ukraine were cut off. It has no economic alternative to gas supplies from Russia, as well as no reserves of this energy resource, and all gas routes run through Ukraine, experts noted. Maintaining the pumping of Russian gas to Moldova will depend on the political decisions made.

As an alternative, the experts suggested the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipeline from Romania, which has a capacity of 1.5 billion cubic meters per year. But even at maximum capacity, which is still to be reached, this pipeline can cover only about 50% of Moldova's usual annual consumption. All other routes go through Ukraine, including the old Trans-Balkan gas pipeline in reverse mode (Gazprom transported gas via this route to Turkey and the Balkan countries until 2020).

On December 16, 2024, a state of emergency was introduced in Moldova due to the termination of Russian gas transit through Ukraine on January 1, 2025.

In early December, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said that the termination of Russian gas supplies to Transnistria, which provides up to 80% of the electricity consumed by Moldova, would not only lead to higher prices for it, but also to disruptions in supplies to consumers, potentially sparking a humanitarian catastrophe in the winter.