Russia's security chief warns of Moldova's potential demise
The head of Russia's Security Council and advisor to Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Patrushev, has threatened in an interview that Moldova's "anti-Russian policy" could lead to the country "ceasing to exist." Chisinau responded, calling this "unacceptable interference."
In a conversation with the newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda," Patrushev blamed Chisinau for the energy crisis in Moldova.
"I do not rule out that Chisinau's aggressive anti-Russian policy will lead to Moldova either becoming part of another country or ceasing to exist altogether," Patrushev said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova condemned this statement.
"Such statements constitute unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of our country and aim to destabilize the region. The Republic of Moldova is a sovereign state that consistently follows the path of democracy and European integration, according to the will of its citizens," stated the ministry.
This is not the only such comment from the Kremlin. The spokeswoman for the diplomatic department, Maria Zakharova, recently stated that Moldova is an "appendage of the Kyiv regime" (as Moscow refers to Ukraine) and also accused Chisinau of "Russophobia."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova stated that it would not comment on Zakharova's remarks as they are not related to diplomacy.
Energy crisis in Moldova
On January 1, 2025, Ukraine officially halted the transit of Russian gas through its pipeline system. According to Ukraine's Ministry of Energy, the decision to suspend was made in the interest of national security.
December 31 was the last day when Gazprom could reserve daily gas for Moldova through the Trans-Balkan pipeline (running through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, and part of the Odessa Oblast in Ukraine). At the end of the year, however, Gazprom announced a suspension of supply because Moldovogaz was not meeting its payment obligations.
Currently, Chisinau is purchasing electricity on European markets. This has caused rates for electricity, heating, and gas to soar.
The situation is worse in Transnistria, an unofficial republic within Moldova controlled by pro-Russian forces. The lack of gas supplies from Russia has led to periodic outages and the suspension of most industrial enterprises.
