Leader of breakaway Transnistria region says Russia will supply gas as "humanitarian aid"

Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the unrecognised republic of Transnistria in Moldova, has announced that Russia would supply gas to the region as humanitarian aid.

As reported by Russian state news agency TASS, Krasnoselsky stressed that "Russian gas will only be supplied to consumers in Transnistria, not Moldova". 

TASS notes that Krasnoselsky held talks in Moscow on 14 January to discuss the region's energy issue, which emerged as a result of the suspension of Russian gas transit through Ukraine.

Since 1 January, the unrecognised region of Transnistria has faced a halt in Russian gas supplies, leading to gas outages for tens of thousands of households and a shutdown of local industries.

On 3 January, Transnistria introduced rolling blackouts as part of measures to address the crisis.

Former Moldovan Energy Minister Victor Parlicov predicted that Gazprom would soon resume gas supplies to Transnistria, aiming to achieve the desired informational effect from the crisis it had created.