The head of European diplomacy Kaya Kalas accused Russia last Tuesday night that “uses natural gas as a weapon” and how it conducts “hybrid warfare” against Moldova, where the breakaway pro-Russian enclave of Transnistria is no longer supplied with Russian gas since early January.

“Russia continues to use gas as a weapon and Moldova is once again the target of its hybrid war”the High Representative said via X.

Mrs. Kalas had a telephone conversation with the Moldovan Prime Minister Doreen Rechan to reaffirm her “unwavering support” of the European Union in Moldova, he added.

“Thanks to EU support, Moldova remains resilient and well connected to European energy networks”assured Mrs. Kalas.

The tension escalates between Russia and the Moldovawhere Transnistria fears it will lose electricity after its supply of Russian natural gas ends.

The Russian giant Gazprom announced in December the suspension of deliveries to Moldova, due to an economic dispute with the former Soviet republic, now a candidate for membership in the European Union.

The dispute over the amount of the debt to Gazprom that remains to be settled — more than 700 million dollars against Moscow, only 9 million against Chisinau—forced the company to turn off the tap as of January 1.

The rest of Moldova is currently unaffected by outages, but is largely dependent on the Kuciurgan Thermal Power Station, located in Transnistria.

The vital infrastructure, which produces up to 80% of the electricity consumed in Moldova, from January 1 no longer supplies only Transnistria itself and switched to burning coal, reserves of which are expected to last at current rates until end of January, mid-February at the latest.

“Russia has only one goal: to cause instability and above all to influence the outcome of the parliamentary elections” scheduled to be held in Moldova in the fall, the Moldovan Prime Minister complained Rechan addressing the foreign press.

The shut-off on January 1 coincided with the end of Russian gas deliveries through Ukraine, a decision taken by Kiev because of the war, which is about to close three years.

Despite ending transit through the pipeline network that passes through Ukraine, Moscow could “delivers gas through the Turkstream gas pipeline, but refuses to do so”the prime minister complained Rechanhead of a pro-European government.