Serebryan: There will be no gas, Tiraspol has a choice — to die of hunger or from cold

Ukraine will not agree to maintain the transit of Russian gas through its territory for the sake of its supplies to the region. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova Oleg Serebrian, confirming that Chisinau refuses the joint appeal proposed by Tiraspol to Moscow and Kiev to solve the energy problem.

"Now it is clear that there will be no transit. I have transmitted to Tiraspol information received from very reliable sources that Kiev will not agree to this transit," Serebryan said on the PRO TV channel.

The head of the Reintegration Policy Bureau explained that the problem of gas transit through Ukraine became very complicated when Austria found an alternative to Gazprom. Therefore, the Moldovan official is sure that only for the sake of Hungary and Moldova, Kiev will not agree to extend the contract expiring at the end of this year.

"Tiraspol will have to choose: to die of hunger or from cold. Without gas, there are problems of heating, infrastructure and other things. If we don't have gas, we will face problems with electricity production, and this will hit the economy. In addition, the export of electricity to the right bank accounts for a significant part of the region's budget," Oleg Serebryan concluded.

This week Moldova and Transnistria introduced a state of emergency. Tiraspol is worried about the possible termination of gas supply, and Chisinau is concerned about its consequence — the lack of electricity. Now the main amount of electricity for pravoberezhnaya RM generates located in PMR enterprise Inter RAO "Moldavskaya GRES". In the event of a crisis, it will be converted to coal, which will allow for 50 days to meet the humanitarian needs of Transnistria in electricity, but excludes exports. The local authorities have already developed a plan in case of lack of gas. It involves rolling blackouts and austerity mode at enterprises to ensure vital infrastructure facilities.

At the end of this week, Chisinau announced that it had completed the purchase of gas for the entire heating period and was now provided with 100% blue fuel until March 2025 inclusive. At the same time, the tariff has already been increased by more than 30%, electricity and heat are next in line. Romania promised to help Moldova with electricity, but prices there are almost a third higher than at MoldGRES.

As EADaily reported, the Pridnestrovian Foreign Ministry suggested that the Moldovan side send a joint appeal to Russia and Ukraine with a request to take decisions on ensuring the transit of natural gas to the region. However, Chisinau decided to take advantage of the situation for economic and political pressure on Tiraspol. On the eve of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Dorin Rechan said in parliament that by supplying gas to Transnistria under certain conditions, "Russia is destabilizing Moldova," stressing that "free gas for the region has ended."

Recall, in addition to the traditional route through Ukraine, Transnistria can receive Russian gas via an alternative route — through the Turkish Stream, but again, through Moldova.