What We Know So Far About Current Transnistria Energy Crisis Linked to Russia

The energy crisis in Transnistria, which started on January 1, has significantly worsened over the past week. The region is facing a shortage of gas, heating, and hot water, with cold water also available only intermittently.

Moldova announced ceasing importing electricity from Transnistria’s Moldovan Thermal Power Plant (GRES) on January 1, 2025, once the contract expired. State-owned Energocom confirmed that no new deal was reached, leading to the end of electricity supplies.

At the same time, the halt of Russian gas transit through Ukraine on January 1, 2025, introduced an additional challenge for Transnistria. Since the Moldovan GRES depends on Russian gas to generate electricity, the plant will be unable to operate without this supply, further exacerbating the region’s energy crisis.

The Ukrainian Gas Transmission System Operator (OGTSU) ceased transiting Russian natural gas on January 1, 2025.

“At 7:00 am Kyiv time on January 1, 2025, the Interconnection Agreement between OGTSU and Gazprom  for physical connection points between Ukraine’s and Russia’s gas transmission systems, signed on December 30, 2019, expired,” the statement reads.

This move ended natural gas transport from the Sudzha entry point on Ukraine’s eastern border to its western and southern exit points, halting Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

On January 6, the Moldovan government attributed the energy crisis in the Transnistrian region, triggered by the suspension of Russian gas supplies, to a larger strategy by Russia aimed at manipulation and propaganda.

“This energy crisis is more than an economic issue—it is a component of a broader Russian strategy designed to manipulate and propagate disinformation, instilling fear and dissatisfaction on both sides of the Dniester River,” government spokesperson Daniel Vodă stated.

On the same day, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated during a briefing in Chișinău that the ongoing energy and humanitarian crisis in Transnistria is linked to Russia’s political and military objectives.

“Chișinău offered assistance, but this proposal was rejected because Russia needs a fabricated humanitarian crisis,” Recean stated. “Russia controls Transnistria, and they are not allowing anyone to help the region,” he added.

The European Commission stressed that the Moldovan government proposed energy and humanitarian aid to Transnistria, but the local authorities declined the offer. The European Commission has called on Transnistria to accept the Moldovan government’s offer of aid.

Recean outlined a detailed plan for Transnistria’s reintegration, stressing that the region must ultimately be placed under the authority of the Moldovan government. He highlighted that the first step involves withdrawing the Russian troops who have been stationed there for years.

Transnistria is a breakaway region that declared independence from Moldova after a short war in the early 1990s. The international community does not recognize its self-declared statehood. The de facto government is backed economically, politically, and militarily by Russia, which maintains its troops in Transnistria.