Around 1500 residential blocks in the Transnistrian region are disconnected from the heating and no hot water. Nearly 72 thousand private homes are no longer supplied with natural gas. The leader of the Tiraspol administration, Vadim Krasnoselski, says that stoves are a lifeline at the moment, IPN reports.
The Tiraspol leader says that in many private homes, especially in the villages, stoves have been kept, which are now being used to keep warm. According to Krasnoselski, there are also stocks of wood, and there are timber trading points in every district. At the request of citizens who are unable to buy wood, it is given free of charge.
Vadim Krasnoselski urges those who are unable to cope with the situation to call the hotline 080022800. Almost two thousand calls have been made in three days. Mostly people are asking for wood.
At the same time, special places have been set up in the villages where people can warm themselves. Already 12 people have called, including a 103-year-old woman.
Gas deliveries to the Transnistrian region have been suspended since January 1 by Russian Gazprom, which has claimed that it has defaulted on a $709 million debt, an amount unconfirmed by Chisinau. The Moldovan leadership accused the Kremlin of energy blackmail.
As a result, the work of hundreds of businesses in the region has been put on hold. Administrative and educational institutions as well as the housing sector were disconnected from heating. Gas continues to be delivered to residential blocks so that people can prepare food.
Chisinau offered assistance in the purchase of natural gas for the left bank, but "Tiraspoltransgaz" refused the help proposed by "Moldovagaz" and "Energocom". The Transnistrian authorities rejected the offer, arguing that it would mean buying gas at "higher and unstable" prices. Tiraspol also said it expected Russia's Gazprom to resume gas supplies under a contract that expires in 2026.
