Moldova Criticizes Russia Over Gas Cutoff Amid Billing Dispute

In the capital of Moldova, 39-year-old postal worker Petru Murzin prepares for a challenging winter, fearing an impending energy shortage could leave many citizens without heat or electricity.

Gazprom has cited an alleged $709 million debt.

His concerns come as Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy giant, plans to halt gas supplies to the EU candidate country, citing an alleged $709 million debt. Moldova’s pro-Western government disputes this figure, accusing Moscow of using energy as a political weapon to destabilize the nation.

“I feel that we’ve entered a crisis that is difficult to resolve, which worries me greatly,” Murzin told AP in Chisinau.

“Price increases are one thing, but when there is no gas at all, that’s something entirely different.”

The gas cutoff will also impact the Kuciurgan power plant in the separatist pro-Russian Transnistria region, which generates electricity for much of Moldova. Transnistria, which declared its own state of emergency earlier this month, fears severe impacts from the gas stoppage.

The region, with a population of 470,000—200,000 of whom hold Russian citizenship—remains unrecognized internationally following its secession after a 1992 war.

Moldova argues its actual debt is closer to $8.6 million, citing audits by British and Norwegian firms. On Dec. 13, Moldova’s parliament declared a state of emergency in the energy sector, warning of a potential humanitarian crisis if the gas shortage persists, particularly in Transnistria.