EU-Funded Gas Restores Heat and Power in Moldova's Breakaway Region

Moldova's separatist region of Transnistria has ended month-long power cuts and began restoring heat after receiving natural gas supplies funded by the European Union, Orda reports, citing a February 4 Reuters report. 

The first 3 million cubic meters delivery was shipped Saturday through Moldovagaz.

Vadim Krasnoselsky, Transnistria's President, announced the end of rolling blackouts and thanked EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for providing 64 million euros for gas supplies.

He also acknowledged Moldovan specialists' help in managing the gas delivery.

In Tiraspol, the region's central city, residents welcomed the return to normalcy. 

The EU funding covers Transnistria's gas needs for early February only, with no arrangements confirmed beyond the first ten days. The region of 350,000 people split from Moldova after the Soviet collapse and maintains Russian peacekeepers from a brief 1992 conflict.