Russia will purchase gas for Transnistria from Europe.

Russia is ready to purchase gas for the Moldovan region of Transnistria, stated the Kremlin.

“Moscow is prepared to assist Transnistria,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov to reporters on Thursday, January 16, in response to a request for comments on media reports that Russia plans to buy gas for Transnistria on the European spot market, as reported by DW.

Earlier, the newspaper “Kommersant,” citing sources, reported that according to plans, Transnistria will receive gas through purchases on the European spot market via a middleman company, and this operation will be funded by the Russian budget.

This scheme is expected to involve gas purchases from January to April, amounting to up to 3 million cubic meters per day. According to estimates from the newspaper, the gas procurement during this period will cost $164 million.

According to sources from the publication, the gas supplier to Transnistria's “Tiraspoltransgaz” is likely to be not “Moldovagaz” – the monopoly supplier to Transnistria – but the company Natural Gaz D.C. Co-owner of Natural Gaz, Arkadiy Vicol, informed the Moldovan publication NewsMaker that his company has signed a framework contract with “Tiraspoltransgaz” for gas supply to Transnistria of 2-3 million cubic meters per day.

Moldova's Prime Minister Dorin Recean reported that the employees of the Moldovan Security Service interrogated Arkadiy Vicol regarding the company's plans to organize gas supplies to Transnistria. The company “Moldovagaz,” for its part, stated that “no one other than ‘Moldovagaz’ can supply gas to the Transnistrian region.”

At the same time, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, declared that Chisinau does not intend to obstruct the actions of the Transnistrian administration aimed at helping the region overcome the energy crisis.

Background. Recall that Chisinau reacted to Patrushev's remarks about Moldova “soon becoming part of another state or disappearing.” The Moldovan Foreign Ministry called these words an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of the country.