Tighina, MOLDOVA -- Thousands of households in Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniester have been forced to cope without gas, heating, and hot water after supplies of Russian natural gas abruptly stopped on January 1 due to the expiration of a supply contract with Ukraine, a major transit hub for the gas.
The pipeline that runs through Ukraine, Russia's oldest gas export route to Europe, shut down at the end of 2024 with the expiration of the contract.
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The stoppage means Ukraine will forego around $800 million a year in transit fees. Russian energy giant Gazprom, meanwhile, will lose out on nearly $5 billion in gas sales.
But the biggest losers in the move may be Transdniester's 450,000 residents, many of whom, especially those living in apartment buildings, have been left without heating and hot water in a region totally dependent on Russian gas supplies.
"For now, the situation is not critical," one man from the city of Tighina told RFE/RL's Moldovan service on January 2, noting he has been able to cope so far using his electric stove.
"For others, maybe, it's worse," he quickly adds.
The municipal administration in Transdniester's capital, Tiraspol, has said it has natural gas reserves of about 13 million cubic meters, which is sufficient for about 20 days. However, the supply is intended mainly for hospitals and other "public and social institutions."
To help, the city said it has set up 30 meeting points where people can gather to warm up and eat hot meals.
Meanwhile, about 115,000 households are receiving natural gas supplies only for cooking, according to supplier Tiraspoltransgaz.
"We have started to adapt," one woman from Tighina told RFE/RL. "We have a stove, an electric hob, and we manage," she added.
The cut in Russian gas supplies to the rest of Europe comes as part of the diplomatic war that has accompanied the battleground fighting sparked by Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is nearing its third year.
The pipeline brought gas from Siberia to the Russia town of Sudzha, which is now under the control of Ukrainian soldiers in Russia's Kursk region.
From there it flowed through Ukraine to Slovakia, where the Soviet-era pipeline splits into branches going to the Czech Republic and Austria.
Ukraine repeatedly said it would not sign a new deal to replace the one expiring due to the war. The decision also aligns with efforts by Ukraine and its allies to cut off Kremlin sources of funding for the war.
Alternative Energy Sources
Russia used to supply a little under half of the European Union's natural gas, but the EU drastically reduced its dependency on that supply after the outbreak of the war.
Europe has found alternative energy sources, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) provided by the United States and Qatar and a piped supply from Norway.
The remaining buyers of the Russian gas traversing Ukraine, including Slovakia and Austria, have arranged for alternative supplies, and analysts foresee minimal market impact from the stoppage.
Austria's Energy Ministry said the natural gas supply for consumers was guaranteed thanks to purchases made for gas flowing through Italy and Germany and the filling of storage.
SEE ALSO: Zelenskiy Accuses Slovak PM Of Wanting To 'Help Putin' Through Gas PaymentsSlovakia will also not risk a shortage, though it faces an extra 177 million euros ($184 million) in fees for alternative routes, its Economy Ministry said.
European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said EU preparations ahead of the end of the contract had included energy efficiency measures, renewable energy development, and a flexible gas system.
Most Russian gas routes to Europe are now shut, including Yamal-Europe via Belarus and the Nord Stream pipelines under the Baltic, which were blown up in 2022.
Hungary and other countries continue to receive Russian gas from the south via the TurkStream pipeline on the bottom of the Black Sea. Hungary and Slovakia, which have close ties with the Kremlin despite the war, had been keen to continue deliveries through the Ukrainian route.
SEE ALSO: End Of Russian Gas Transit A Defeat For Moscow, Zelenskiy SaysUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on January 1 that the end of natural gas supplies to Europe via a major pipeline traversing Ukraine is one of the "biggest defeats" for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As a result of Russia weaponizing energy and resorting to cynical blackmail of partners, Moscow lost one of the most profitable and geographically accessible markets,” he said.