Moldova has major electricity supply problems after Russia bombed Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure and Ukraine was unable to export electricity to Moldova, said Bogdan Aurescu, the foreign minister of neighboring Romania.
These attacks have been labelled “war crimes” by Aurescu, who said that Romania now supplies Moldova with between 80 and 90 percent of its total electricity needs. The Republic of Moldova, with a population of 2.55 million, has an 82 percent Romanian majority who call themselves “Moldovans.”
Bogdan Aurescu told news television Digi 24 on Sunday evening that Russia’s targets on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are not just terrorist attacks, but war crimes.
Moldova is considered nearly totally dependent on Russian gas, and much of the populations remains opposed to sanctions on Russia due to soaring energy and food prices. Pro-Russia protests have been ongoing for weeks, with Western nations attempting to shore up the country’s pro-Western government with subsidies and other forms of aid.
“Problems with electricity supply in the Republic of Moldova arose from Russia’s bombing of Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure. They can also be called (terrorist attacks), if we are talking about political statements, but it is clear that from the point of view of international humanitarian law, these attacks on civilian targets, in general on civilians, as Russia is doing in Ukraine, violate international humanitarian law and are in fact war crimes,” Aurescu said.
The foreign minister explained that Romania continues to provide support to Moldova.
“In mid-October, the first bombings targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and Ukraine was no longer able to export electricity to Moldova; what we have done is promptly intervene and provide electricity to Moldova. At the moment, in one form or another, Romania is supplying the Republic of Moldova with between 80 and 90 percent of its total electricity consumption needs,” Aurescu said.
