Putin attempts to stir protests in Transdniestria – expert

Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly trying to provoke mass protests in Transdniestria through the ongoing energy crisis in the region.

Valerii Klochok, Head of the Vezha Public Analytic Center, stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"They need to stir up a commotion. Putin has raised the stakes: in my opinion, he's going all in. He needs pro-Russian forces to take to the streets. The scheme is standard – creating unbearable living conditions, protests, first victims..." – the expert believes.

According to him, the current geopolitical situation is such that the separatist enclave could fall out of Kremlin control. Moscow will try not to lose influence over this region and will aim to establish a pro-Russian government in Moldova, and this plan could be successful.

"The society in the country is very divided, and Maia Sandu's victory is due solely to the diaspora. Now, it all depends on the parliamentary elections. This is a parliamentary-presidential republic, where the president has fewer powers than the prime minister," explained Klochok.

Currently, according to the expert, President Maia Sandu and Prime Minister of Moldova Dorin Recean are successfully cooperating and are united on important issues, such as the reintegration of the "PMR" (Transnistria).

"The crisis in Transdniestria is an opportunity for Moscow to destabilize the situation and strip Sandu of her powers — maximally diminishing her position as president. The president doesn't like allies, she pursues an independent policy, and this will create problems for her in the future parliament," the expert explained.

According to Klochok, to achieve this, it was necessary to create a reason for the population's discontent and to come up with a catalyst that would stir up the masses.

"The issue is not how the elections will go – for the Kremlin, it is desirable to provoke Chisinau so that it cannot hold its position. After that, they will model the elections themselves," the expert noted.

As previously reported, starting from January 1, Ukraine halted the transit of gas from the Russian gas monopoly, Gazprom, through its own gas transportation system due to national security concerns. At the same time, central heating disappeared in the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), and rolling power outages were implemented.

The Gazprom explained the cessation of gas supplies by Moldova's debt. Moldova offered to help the unrecognized Transdniestria purchase natural gas through European procurement platforms, but the self-proclaimed president of the so-called PMR, Vadim Krasnoselsky, rejected the proposal and blamed Moldova's authorities for the energy crisis.