Transnistria and Moldova Discuss Checkpoint Removal Amid Gas Supply Crisis

In unrecognized Transnistria, a meeting of the Joint Control Commission (JCC) discussed the removal of checkpoints in the border area with Moldova that were illegally set up in 2022.

According to the Moldovan edition of NewsMaker, this is one of the conditions for the resumption of gas supplies.

According to the media, the main roads, as well as entrances and exits from settlements in the eastern regions of Moldova, have already been unblocked, concrete barriers have been dismantled, and the accompanying infrastructure of the checkpoints has been eliminated.

The Moldovan government stated that no incidents were recorded in the security zone after the checkpoints were removed. At the next meeting of the commission, they plan to discuss the return to normal operation. Ensuring freedom of movement in the security zone between Moldova and unrecognized Transnistria remains a priority for the Moldovan government.

On January 1, Transnistria stopped supplying heat and hot water to households and businesses. This was the result of the suspension of Russian gas transportation through Ukraine. On December 9, 2024, the so-called leader of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnosilsky, declared a state of economic emergency due to the threat of a cutoff in Russian gas supplies.

In February, the Transnistrian authorities refused to accept 60 million euros from the European Union to finance gas purchases.

Journalists from the Center for Public Investigations decided to find out who controls the energy sector in the Transnistrian region and how this threatens Ukraine.

Experts noted that Moscow is using gas as a tool of pressure, seeking to influence the parliamentary elections in Moldova in 2025. the Kremlin is trying to change the republic's European course, strengthen its military presence in Transnistria and potentially involve the region in a conflict against Ukraine.

Ірина Глухова