CHISINAU, January 23. /TASS/. Moldovan President Maia Sandu's demand for the withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers from Transnistria is absolutely unacceptable, Oleg Belyakov, Transnistria’s co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) for the peacekeeping operation, has said.
"For us such rhetoric is absolutely unacceptable. We understand perfectly well how complex and balanced peace on this land is. Should this balance be upset, there will be no confidence in tomorrow. There will be no certainty that we will be able to maintain stability and peace on this land. This is a crucial component. It should not be ruined in any case," Belyakov told the media. Earlier, Sandu said that Chisinau was ready to provide financial assistance to Transnistria only after the withdrawal of Russian military units.
Gazprom stopped supplying gas to Moldova in early January after a ban on its transit through Ukraine and Chisinau's refusal to settle the problem of debt for consumed fuel. In this situation, the Moldavan thermoelectric power plant was switched to coal and been providing power only to consumers on the left bank of the Dniester, while Moldova has been importing more expensive electricity from Romania. However, the coal reserves available to the Moldovan thermoelectric power plant will last until the end of January or mid-February.
Transnistria, unlike Moldova, has no alternative sources of gas. It has had to resort to a number of austerity measures: central heating has been suspended, the supply of hot water to homes has been cut off, industrial enterprises have been shut down and rolling blackouts have begun.