(Washington Insider Magazine) -Moldovans are being warned of rolling blackouts due to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The small nation, which is heavily dependent on cheap Russian gas also has its power lines flowing through Ukraine, making it vulnerable to the Russian war.
Due to the Russian-Ukraine war update, the country’s deputy prime minister accused Russia of conducting a “Hybrid war” against his country.
How have Moldovan blackouts affected the country’s business landscape?
Meanwhile, in the hills 500m from the Ukraine border, winemakers in Pucari also feel the pressure from the Russian war.
The vineyard, which was solely reliant on the Russian market, faced embargoes from Russia in 2006 and 2013.
The deputy prime minister also accused Russia of punishing his nation for moving closer to The European Union(EU) and now diversifying its wine market.
Despite receiving help from the EU and offering subsidies to its poorest, many continue to struggle to pay their bills, with inflation hitting 30%.
Moldovan blackouts could worsen as the Russian energy company Gazprom threatens to reduce energy further.
The pro-EU government accuses Russia of being unreliable and has promised to become less dependent on Russian energy.
However, the country will have to wait up to three years to be fully connected to the EU grid, until then energy (and its breakaway state of Transnistria) can only come via Ukraine.
The breakaway Republic of Transnistria with the help of Russia, which was able to win a short but bloody war against Moldova in the 1990s, still hosts 1500 Russian peacekeepers.
With continued Moldovan blackouts and the Russian-Ukrainian war update, thousands of people have headed to the street, calling on president Maia Sandy to resign because of the rising costs of living.
A number of protesters have claimed that the end to Moldovan rising costs of living crisis is closer ties with Russia.
Ilan Shor, an exiled oligarch, is accused of being behind the protest.
Protesters have also been accused of accepting payments, but the protesters claimed they were only getting paid to help with their living costs.
