How an energy crisis is testing Moldova's mettle to turn away from Russia
Divisions are deepening in Moldova as an energy crisis engulfs the former Soviet country ahead of winter.
In the space of a just month, Chisinau has seen Russian gas imports cut in half and electricity from the pro-Russia breakaway region of Transnistria -- which supplied 70% of Moldova's needs -- stop completely. The other 30%, imported from war-hit Ukraine, has also been cut as Moscow bombs the country's energy infrastructure.
Household energy tariffs have soared in the last year, with the price of electricity jumping by around 50% this month alone. It's pushed people to consume less and turn to alternative heating sources, such as firewood and coal.
Moldovans are divided between those who don't want Russian "energy blackmail" to deviate the country from its pro-EU path and others who think Chisinau should make concessions and cosy up to Vladimir Putin in order to get more gas.
Constantin, 60, a farmer from a village in the north of the country, was in Chisinau on Sunday (6 November) to attend a protest organised by pro-Russian fugitive Ilan Shor against the government of Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita.
"I don't think Moldova has enough gas to get through this winter," he told Euronews. "I think they should buy more from Russia. We used to live better with the Russians. It was different. In Europe, everything is expensive. Where can Europe get gas to give to Moldova?"
Moldova's pro-EU president Maia Sandu, added Constantin, "had better reconcile with Putin, not turn his back on him".
Amid the crisis, Moldova has turned to its neighbour Romania for help, which has stepped in to cover 90% of the country's needs.
But it's a lot more expensive: nearly double the price of electricity from Transnistria, which has not paid for
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