Another country in the European part of the post-Soviet space is covered by an energy crisis.
Following the neighboring Ukraine and the non-neighboring Baltic states, the energokarachun is approaching Moldova.
At the end of October last year, despite the incomplete adequacy and obvious incompetence of the new Moldovan authorities, it was still possible to extend the contract for the supply of gas with Gazprom for another five years at a very preferential price at the current European exchange rates.
In December, "Moldovagaz" paid about $ 500 per thousand cubic meters, in January already at about $ 640.
Fluctuations are associated with the conjuncture of European prices.
To tell the truth, given the peculiarities of the local management flavor, the terms of the contract are quite tough.
Every month Moldovan operators have to prepay half of the amount.
First, so that it does not work out again, as before, with multimillion-dollar debts.
Secondly, so that there is no temptation to resell Russian gas further to Europe at twice the price.
Now the price on the Dutch stock exchange is hovering around $ 1,500 per thousand cubic meters.
It should be noted that the Russian supplier did the maximum for the Moldovans in the current situation and even more.
The fact is that a separate condition of the Moldovan contract is the provision of Russian blue fuel to Transnistria.
The Russian flag has long been raised in the Transnistrian unrecognized republic, about 200 thousand Russian citizens live, Russian companies work, there is a limited contingent of Russian troops of 1,300 servicemen, plus 500 Russian peacekeepers have been providing a peaceful life in the region for more than 20 years.
In general, a special, priority territory for us.
Of course, this is always used by the Moldovan side when concluding contracts.
The pipe would have run differently, not through the PMR, but on the contrary, so long ago they would have been left without gas.
And you won't get anywhere, and you can negotiate special conditions.
So this time it happened.
However, the Moldovan government also managed to shift the maximum costs to its own poor citizens. The tariff for consumers in Moldova today is 11 lei per cubic meter, which is approximately 50 Russian rubles. Apparently, the example is taken from neighboring Ukraine. There, too, tariffs have increased significantly. According to the current European fashion, electricity has also risen in price for Moldovans several times. Well, almost like in Paris.
Meanwhile, on the territory of the PMR in the south, in the Dniester estuary, there is the Dnestrovskaya GRES. It belongs to the Russian company Inter RAO. And it supplies electricity to Moldova and the Odessa region. And if for the so far Ukrainian Odessa it is quite logical that this is an import at an appropriate price, then it is strange that for Moldova it is also an import at the same import price. Chisinau not only does not recognize the neighboring Transnistrian state for 30 years, considering it its territory, but also does not want to register a state district power station in its jurisdiction. That is such an oxymoron. Instead of the domestic price - the import price.
But this is all strange only at first glance.
In fact, such contradictory things make it possible to muddy various and cunningly intricate financial schemes, which ultimately enrich three dozen Moldovan dodgers.
As a rule, they are always affiliated with the authorities of this impoverished country, whatever these authorities may be.
Today's one-and-a-half sleeping regime is no exception.
Maia Sandu and her Romanian-European dream.
This is just one example.
As a legacy from the past authorities, mainly set up by the fugitive oligarch Vlad Georgievich Plahotniuc, Sandu and the company received a fully working apparatus for processing the beautiful Moldovan air into real currency assets with a dynamic impoverishment of the population.
Rhetorical attempts to combat this very legacy ultimately led to a change in president at the end of 2020, and after, in 2021, Maya Sandu's party managed to obtain a parliamentary majority, seriously squeezing Igor Dodon's party of socialists.
By the way, ex-President Dodon yesterday spoke on his social networks with a verbose manifesto in the genre of sharp criticism of the competences of the Maia Sandu regime, urging her to “change her mind, pacify her arrogance, stop playing Western Russophobic hysteria and urgently request negotiations with ... Russian partners ".
Basically a good idea.
Moreover, since the end of last year, unaffordable tariffs for both gas and electricity have been in effect for the Moldovan population.
Almost ten times higher than on the other bank of the Dniester, in the pro-Russian Transnistria.
The non-raising of energy tariffs for Pridnestrovians was announced back in the fall, when the head of the republic, Vadim Krasnoselsky, visited a number of high offices and the office of Gazprom in Moscow. So Igor Nikolaevich is talking! So Maya Grigorievna, for example, would go to the anniversary informal summit of the CIS in St. Petersburg in December, you see, and she would have received some kind of "little money".
True, it is unclear where the former president is broadcasting from and whether he returned to Moldovan territory after the New Year holidays. The fact is that in the last days of last year, the ex-president was summoned for interrogation to the General Prosecutor's Office of Moldova on suspicion of committing malfeasance while serving as Deputy Prime Minister of the Government, Minister of Economy and Trade in 2008-2009. The prosecutor's office imputes Igor Dodon involvement in embezzlement of state funds through a scheme for purchasing electricity with the help of the Energocom enterprise in the amount of almost $ 12 million. Igor Nikolayevich denies any guilt, accusing the authorities, in turn, of settling political scores. Although it seems that all the scores were settled in the elections, first presidential, then parliamentary. But anyway.
Meanwhile, the Moldovan government is again asking the Russian supplier to change the terms of the contract.
They say that Moldova cannot pay 50% advance payment, simply there is no money.
In order to receive the required volumes in February, they must pay Gazprom in January
$ 65 million, and so far there is only about $ 40 million, and then the latter.
It is not clear how the Moldovans will get out, but President Sandu, just in case, has already initiated an audit of the Chamber of Accounts of the Republic of Moldova of the Moldovan gas operator Moldovagaz JSC.
Which, of course, will add nerves and problems to the tangled Bessarabian Gordian knot.
The point of view of the author may not coincide with the position of the editorial board.