The Russian Federation uses gas as an energy weapon to achieve its geopolitical goals. The statement was made by expert Sergiu Tofilat during a public debate on "The first lessons of the energy crisis in the Eastern region", organized by IPN News Agency. During the debate, Tofilat gave a retrospective of Moldovan-Russian relations from 2021 to the present, explaining how Moscow has exerted pressure on Moldova through energy resources.
"In 2021 parliamentary elections were held. A pro-European government, which does not share the Kremlin's views, came to power. And gas was used as a weapon against Moldova. The gas price formula was changed. We were then forced to pay a gas price that depended on the spot market, which was then twice as high," explained energy analyst Sergiu Tofilat, a member of the "Together" political bloc.
Tofilat noted that Russia exploited the vulnerabilities of the Moldovan energy system to achieve its goals. These weaknesses include the dependence on energy imports and the lack of gas supply alternatives at that time.
"Moscow utilized the shortcomings of our energy system, such as dependence on imported energy resources and the lack of the possibility at that time to procure gas from other sources. Russia also used our energy system, which was still built in the Soviet period, and which means that energy supply is highly dependent on MGRES, which continues to work on Russian gas," the expert said.
Sergiu Tofilat also emphasized that the energy crisis in the Transnistrian region, although artificially provoked by Russia, has also had beneficial effects on Moldova. The high prices of energy resources have stimulated the development of key sectors for the country's energy future, such as energy efficiency and renewable energy production.
"The high price of energy resources, strange as it may seem, contributes to the development of other sectors. Such as energy efficiency and the use of renewables," Tofilat pointed out.
The public debate on "First lessons from the energy crisis in the Eastern region" is organized in the framework of the project "IPN News Agency for social cohesion and pro-European Moldova", funded by IMS.
