The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova summoned the Russian ambassador to come to the institution on Friday, at 03:00 p.m., to discuss Moscow's recent statements about the energy crisis in the Transnistrian region and the accusations made against Chisinau. As Ambassador Oleg Ozerov is not in Moldova, he will be replaced at the discussions by chargé d'affaires of Russia’s Embassy Aleksandr Andreev, IPN reports.
Earlier, in an official statement, Russia’s Embassy accused the Moldovan authorities of ignoring the contractual problems with Gazprom, which led to the interruption of gas supplies to the Transnistrian region. Moscow also accused Ukraine of a "destructive policy" and said that Kyiv refused to allow the transit of Russian gas, which also affected the Transnistrian region.
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova firmly rejected these accusations, stressing that the Russian Federation is exclusively responsible for the energy crisis in Transnistria. The Moldovan authorities denounced Moscow's attempts to manipulate public opinion and condemned the policy aimed at causing destabilization through energy blackmail. In this connection, the Ministry called for an end to the Russian Embassy's disinformation campaign and stressed that Russia and Gazprom bear full responsibility for the cessation of gas supplies.
Aleksandr Andreev was appointed chargé d'affaires of the Russian Embassy on February 17, 2022, just a week before Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to an investigation conducted by RFE/RL’s Moldovan Service, Andreev is a diplomat with a remarkable academic background, a graduate of the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Despite his diplomatic career, there are indications pointing to his connections with military bodies. He was captured on a photo wearing the cadet uniform of the Russian Army’s Signal Communications Troops.
Andreev was also active in supporting controversial actions in Moldova, including defending a Russian commander in the Security Zone who was stopped by Moldovan police for wearing the "St. George ribbon", a symbol banned in the Republic of Moldova. After the withdrawal of part of the Russian diplomatic staff from Chisinau in August 2023, Andreev told the Transnistrian press that the reduction in the number of diplomats could lead to "disturbances" in “keeping peace" in the region.
The summoning of Aleksandr Andreev to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs underlines the current tensions in the relations between the Republic of Moldova and the Russian Federation, and the Moldovan authorities continue to condemn any attempt to destabilize the region through political actions or disinformation.
