Transnistria Faces Heating Crisis as Russian Gas Supply Halts

Transnistria has lost heating and hot water after Russian gas supplies through Ukraine were cut off, according to The Guardian. 

Russian gas flows to Europe via Ukraine have stopped, marking the end of the transit route and causing immediate impacts across the region. Meanwhile, Gazprom claims the reason for the halt in gas supplies to Moldova is debts.

Gazprom confirmed the halt at 8:00 AM Moscow time on Wednesday, while Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko called the development "historic," noting that "Russia is losing its markets."

The shutdown affects the Soviet-era pipeline running from Sudzha in Russia's Kursk region to Uzhhorod on Ukraine's border with Slovakia. This route had remained active even after Russia's 2022 invasion, generating significant transit fees for Ukraine, but efforts to extend the 2019 agreement failed last year.

The impact was felt immediately in Transnistria, Moldova's breakaway region, where residents lost heating and hot water. Local provider Tirasteploenergo advised residents to take emergency measures, including gathering in single rooms and using electric heaters, while warning them against dangerous alternatives like gas stoves for heating.

Meanwhile, Slovakia's Prime Minister, Robert Fico, criticized the failure to renew the transit deal:

Halting gas transit via Ukraine will have a drastic impact on us all in the EU but not on the Russian Federation,he wrote on Facebook.