Moldovan citizens will vote this year in parliamentary elections. There is a risk that their vote will derail Chisinau's European course. Only time will tell how Europe will react, Vitalie Cojocari writes.

The crisis prompted a question: will the breakaway region, occupied by Russia since 1992, survive without Russian gas? Free-of-charge Russian gas had been the backbone of Transnistria's economy and ensured the preservation of the breakaway region and its de facto independence from Moldova.

The head of Moldova’s breakaway region Transnistria has urged residents to burn firewood for heating and warned that blackouts cannot be avoided, after Moscow stopped supplying gas via Ukraine.

A pro-Russian separatist region in the heart of Moldavia, Transnistria is cold, very cold. Since January 1, 2025, Russia has cut off gas supplies to its vassal. The Moldovan authorities are to blame.

One option is Russia to start shipments through the Balkan corridor (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania), without Moldova paying off the arrears, an analyst explained.

The Moscow-controlled breakaway region of Moldova will receive gas as a "humanitarian gesture" from the Kremlin, while the rest of the country will remain cut off after Russia halted supplies on 1 January,

Moldova would not object to Ukraine's proposal to help unrecognised Transnistria with its energy crisis in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in the region. Source: Moldovan PM Dorin Recean in a commentary to European Pravda Details: Recean noted that Chișinău has not asked Ukraine to help Transnistria with energy resources but would not object to it.

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was ready to provide gas to Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, but needed logistical support from Moldova to make that happen.