The Republic of Moldova have been warned of rolling power blackouts, as the nation prepares for the impact of Russian missile strikes in neighbouring Ukraine, according to BBC News.
Because of the way power infrastructure was built in Soviet times, Republic of Moldova is uniquely exposed to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Not only has it historically been almost entirely dependent on cheap Russian gas imports, but nearly all its power lines flow through Ukraine.
The strikes on Ukraine’s power grid have been leading to blackouts across the Republic Moldova, with warnings of more outages in the coming days.
The deputy prime minister has accused Russia of conducting “hybrid warfare” against his country, which is almost uniquely impacted by the Russian invasion to the east of Republic of Moldova. “It’s simple,” says Andrei Spinu. “They don’t want Moldova to follow the European path.”
The deputy prime minister accuses Russia of using energy to try to dissuade Republic of Moldova from its stated path of further EU integration.
The government in Chisinau is receiving help from the EU and offering subsidies for the poorest, but still faces huge challenges.
The pro-EU government in Republic of Moldova accuses Russia of no longer being a safe or honest partner, and so Chisinau is trying to extract itself from reliance on Russian energy.
The new power connections direct into the EU’s grid that are able to replace existing lines are not going to be functional for around three years. Until they are, all electricity comes not just via Ukraine, but also Republic of Moldova’s autonomous pro-Russian region of Transnistria.