Will Gazprom deprive Moldova of gas supplies due to half a billion debt

Alexey Belogoryev, Deputy Principal Director on Energy Studies of the Institute for Energy and Finance, commented to the Svobodnaya Pressa Internet magazine on the risks of interrupting Russian gas supplies to Moldova.

Chisinau's debt for Russian gas is historical and is not directly related to supplies. Aleksey Belogoryev draws attention to this when commenting on the materials of the Accounts Chamber of Moldova.

Earlier, the Accounts Chamber of Moldova published the results of audit procedures, according to which the debt of Moldovagaz to Gazprom amounted to $590.8 million. In particular, most of the mentioned amount is owed for the period from 2011 to 2015 - 394.1 million dollars. Another 144.8 million debts were formed from 1990 to 2007, 37.3 million dollars - in December last year, as well as 14 million in the first half of 1999, that is, even before starting the Moldovagaz operation.

Alexey Belogoryev is sure that Gazprom has been waiting for the return of funds from Moldova for so long that it can probably wait more:

“Supplies of “blue fuel” will not stop, because Pridnestrovie is supplied with gas through Moldova. And Russia has political and economic obligations to Pridnestrovie. Chisinau is well aware of this, and this gives it confidence that supplies will not be cut off.”