Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The EU’s Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas has blamed Russia for weaponising gas against Moldova.
High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Kaja Kallas, expressed Russia is using “gas as a weapon” in what she called a “hybrid war” against the small Southeast European country, vowing the EU’s support. Kallas wrote on X. “Thanks to EU support, Moldova remains resilient and well-connected to European energy networks.”
What impact does the gas cutoff have on Moldova?
The energy crisis worsened when Russian gas supplies were cut off on January 1 over a financial dispute between Moscow and the Moldovan government. The cutoff has left more than 70,000 households in Transnistria without gas, forcing residents to seek alternative heating methods during freezing winter temperatures. The situation in Transnistria has reached critical levels, and local authorities are threatened with the threat of blackouts and complete electricity loss if the gas supply does not resume soon. Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky is concerned with technological failures at power stations.
In response to the crisis, Moldova declared a state of emergency in December 2024. The government is working to ensure that critical infrastructure has access to power while also offering subsidies to households struggling with rising energy costs.
The Moldovan government declared that, even though it is possible to import electricity from European sources to offset the loss in Transnistria, this will increase costs to consumers by several times. Price hikes are already pushing the budgets of many Moldovan families to their limits and may eventually contribute to public dissatisfaction and economic hardship. This energy crisis is seen to be part of a larger Russian strategy to take control of Moldova through energy manipulation. Moldova has accused the Russian government of using gas as a weapon to destabilize the country and influence forthcoming elections.
