Ukraine has announced it will not renew its transit contract with Gazprom. Credit: Adam Radosavljevic/Shutterstock.

Moldova’s parliament has declared a national state of emergency for 60 days starting on 16 December 2024, in anticipation of a potential cut-off of Russian gas supplies from 1 January 2025.

The decision was made after Prime Minister Dorin Recean urged the parliament to ensure the separatist Transdniestria region receives necessary gas supplies, aiming to end what he termed “gas blackmail” from Moscow, according to a report by Reuters.

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The declaration allows the Moldovan Government to respond swiftly and restrict energy exports.

Moldova receives natural gas from Russia via Ukraine, which has announced it will not renew its transit contract with Gazprom, set to expire on 31 December 2024.

Recean said Russian President Vladimir Putin “wants to leave the population of Transdniestria without gas and electricity and hold them hostage. Moscow is doing this to destabilise the situation in Moldova,” the report stated.

Recean emphasised the importance of parliamentary approval for the state of emergency, stating: “This winter must be the last in the country’s history when we can be subject to energy blackmail.”

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The government warned that failure to supply gas to Transdniestria could lead to a humanitarian crisis and threaten Moldova’s electricity sector stability.

Moldova imports approximately two billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually from Russia. Since 2022, all Russian gas received by Moldova has been directed to Transdniestria.

The region, lacking international recognition, declared its own economic state of emergency on Tuesday.

Transdniestria hosts a Russian gas-fuelled power plant that is crucial to its economy and supplies most of Moldova’s Government-controlled areas with power.

Recean described the transit issue through Ukraine as an “artificial problem”, suggesting Russian gas could be rerouted.

Moldova has proposed an alternative route for gas delivery via the TurkStream pipeline through Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. However, Gazprom has linked continued deliveries via alternative routes to its demands for Moldova to settle a $709m (12.99bn lei) debt for past supplies.

Moldova’s energy minister has reportedly engaged in discussions with Gazprom’s CEO to explore alternative routes for supplying Russian gas to Transdniestria if Ukrainian transit ceases.