Transnistria has faced major problems due to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine. However, back in December, Moldova offered to buy European gas for the region, at its own expense, wrote the State Secretary for Energy of Moldova,

The end of Russian natural-gas transit across Ukraine is a blow to Moscow, but it could provide the Kremlin with sharpened tool for economic and political influence over a key target country: Moldova.

The blow to Transdniestria was immediate. Households' central heating and hot water were cut off, and nearly all industrial enterprise was shut down.

Kyiv has finally turned off Russia’s gas supply to Europe, ending a source of income that helped pay for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. The decades-old deal, which allowed the transit of natural gas produced by Russian energy giant Gazprom through Ukraine, ended at midnight on December 31, shutting down Russia’s last major gas corridor to Europe.

Moscow breakaway region of Transnistria halted almost all industrial activity except for food production, following the end of Russian gas flows through Ukraine, Interfax reported.

Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region, has stopped supplying heating and hot water to households after gas supplies to Europe from Russia via Ukraine were cut off. Source: Reuters Details: The interruption of gas supplies had an immediate impact on the region's population of about 450,

Russian natural gas has stopped flowing to Europe via Ukraine after a five-year transit contract expired.

This matters because, if true, all it would take to stop the bloodshed is for the West to close the door to NATO and stop sending Ukraine weapons. If not, those decisions would simply help the Kremlin achieve its goals of territorial conquest, and promise a widening radius for destabilization.

Russia denies using gas as a weapon to coerce Moldova, and blames Kyiv for refusing to renew a gas-transit deal.

UBC engineering professor Ray Taheri will celebrate Eastern Orthodox Christmas this week in Ukraine, Moldova and Romania, with plans to share a bit of joy during difficult times.

Russian-owned gas giant Gazprom announced in December it would halt gas supplies to Moldova over a dispute over an alleged $709 million debt for past supplies.