Imagine having to leave your home from one day to the next because of life-threatening threats. There's not much you can take with you: just the bare essentials and the hope that on the right bank of the Dniester, the state will help you start afresh. But when you get there, you discover that no one knows where to put you up, what help to give you and how to protect you from new dangers. What's more, you've just found out that an energy crisis could leave tens of thousands of people out in the cold this winter, including the displaced. This is not a fiction, but the reality that many internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Transnistrian region are living.
Vadim Vieru is a lawyer and human rights expert from the Republic of Moldova, serving as Program Director at Promo-LEX. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in the promotion and defense of human rights, focusing on issues related to justice and the situation in the Transnistrian region.
Internal displacement - a phenomenon ignored for three decades
The Republic of Moldova, through a number of historical and political factors, has avoided taking clear responsibility for the people in the Transnistrian region who are forced to leave their homes. The result? There is currently no law regulating the status of IDPs, protecting their rights and providing them with access to basic services such as shelter, psychological assistance, social protection or professional reintegration.
Under the umbrella of the "frozen conflict", the inhabitants of the left bank of the Dniester are living a continuous drama: serious human rights violations, threats, illegal arrests and details reminiscent of past eras rather than of 21st century Europe. Against this backdrop, some end up fleeing across administrative lines at night, fearful that they might be subjected to inhuman treatment on their return.
The state is perplexed
There are no clear procedures in place to identify and protect IDPs. No one knows exactly how many there are, where they can go and who they should talk to. Social welfare agencies, which could intervene, do not recognize their status, and existing shelters - which are few and specialized on other types of vulnerabilities - cannot legally receive them unless they meet the criteria set for other categories (e.g. victims of domestic violence, victims of human trafficking or elderly people).
Faced with such an institutional vacuum, many internally displaced people seek support from NGOs or central authorities in the hope that someone will find a solution. But solutions usually appear ad hoc, through derogations from existing regulations, midnight appeals and bureaucratic maze. It happens just when one needs perhaps the most basic thing: a secure roof over one's head.
An energy crisis hitting the vulnerable hardest
Alongside this drama, Moldova is also facing one of the worst energy crises in its recent history. The Russian Federation's decision to halt gas supplies through Ukraine, the lack of a transit agreement after 2024 and volatile prices on international markets have put the authorities in Chisinau in a critical situation: how to provide heating and electricity for millions of people, including those in the Transnistrian region?
In addition to the fact that 70% of electricity no longer comes from the Cuciurgan power plant in the breakaway region, Moldova's transmission grid is not ready to ensure rapid and complete diversification of energy sources. The government has started to import natural gas through the Romania-Republic of Moldova corridor, has made arrangements for LNG through Bulgaria and Greece and has put in place saving measures. But if you have incomplete legislation for displaced persons, and they are in a makeshift, inadequately heated shelter, how do you manage their protection in winter?
Rising energy prices, business bankruptcies, the risk of electricity and gas shortages, and political tensions fueled by the Russian Federation are putting even more pressure on the government and the most vulnerable. Thus, displaced people who have already lost their homes often become "collateral victims" of a larger geopolitical struggle. With no stable housing, no prospects and huge bills for a possible rented space, many choose to leave the country or, worse, return to Transnistria, risking persecution. A vicious circle that tears lives apart and destroys families.
From statistics to life stories
A man from Bender, who was abusively detained by Transnistrian militia for comments critical of Russian symbols, flees to Chisinau and seeks shelter for himself and his family. "Where should I go?" he asks in despair when he learns that he is not allowed in any adult placement center. The state institutions at best guide him to an NGO that runs a temporary accommodation space, which is barely funded. But even that can't last long, or there is no money and no framework contract with the state.
A mother with two young children, hounded in Tiraspol, ends up sleeping in the house of acquaintances because she has no identity papers "on the right bank" and cannot rent a place legally. In the dead of winter, she found herself without central heating because the landlord could not pay the huge bills. For her, returning to the region would mean risking her life and the safety of her children. The state? Silence. There is no emergency mechanism in place yet, because national law does not actually recognize her as "internally displaced".
Such concrete, human cases show that the lack of a coherent policy, combined with a devastating energy crisis, can turn the lives of citizens into an unmanageable ordeal for the average person.
What are the solutions?
Rapid drafting and adoption of a law on internally displaced persons (IDPs)
This must include: a clear definition of IDPs; an explicit right to shelter and support services; the establishment of a responsible national structure; state funding for adapted shelters; flexible procedures to allow for emergency intervention.
Creating a single coordination mechanism
In the context of the energy crisis, it is vital to have a 'crisis cell' involving representatives from ministries, civil society, international partners. This "cell" would coordinate the relocation of IDPs, the provision of heat and electricity supply and would monitor in real time the shelters or their temporary housing.
State-NGO partnerships
NGOs have so far played the main role in taking on serious cases, providing temporary shelter. Unfortunately, their resources are limited and they depend on grants. The government needs to conclude partnership agreements and allocate dedicated budgets in order for these shelters to become part of a formal system.
PSI information and counseling
A 24/7 hotline, a help desk and a guide published on official websites can save lives by providing information about shelters, access conditions, social benefits and how to obtain identity documents.
Extra protection in the energy crisis
ISPs require priority for heating compensation, transportation and distribution of firewood (in rural areas) and any temporary energy saving measures. No one should freeze in the middle of winter and, above all, no one should feel that the state is abandoning them after they have already lost their homes.
Working with external partners
The European Union, the US, Romania and other donor states may be willing to provide financial and logistical support to improve energy infrastructure and create a robust protection system for ISPs. The government must clarify its needs and present concrete projects.
Action and solidarity are critically important
One crisis does not cancel out the other. The energy crisis is a test of Moldova's resilience and the internal displacement in the Transnistrian region is a test of our humanity and collective responsibility. Unfortunately, reality shows that the two crises are intensifying each other, turning already vulnerable people into certain victims.
A country that aspires to European values cannot turn a blind eye to the suffering of its own citizens who need safety and a minimum thermal comfort, especially in winter. As complicated as it may seem, it is within our power to stop displaced people feeling "orphaned" in their own country. The crisis is great and will get worse if we remain indifferent. But this situation can also be an opportunity to demonstrate that the Republic of Moldova knows and protects its citizens, on whichever side of the Dniester they live.
Between the cold and the threats, there is always room for hope. And hope begins with the recognition that no one should suffer in silence, without shelter and warmth. It is our responsibility as a society, and the responsibility of governments as institutions, to put people first.
