Why the energy grid? Putin is losing the grip on these countries.

October 1, 2022

Chisinau Oct 1 (Reuters) - Russia's Gazprom (GAZP.MM) (click here) cut natural gas supplies to Moldova on Saturday by around 30%, the director of gas firm Moldovagaz, Vadim Ceban, said.

A day earlier, deputy Prime Minister Andrei Spinu said Gazprom had warned Moldova about the reduction in supplies. 

Spinu said on Saturday that technical problems were behind the reduction and the country would ask Gazprom to increase supplies....

Putin has three to four war fronts considering the larger economic affiliates. Russia wants control. Bombing Ukraine is a stalemate status until Putin can control the other smaller countries. Putin and his countrymen covet all these countries in a way that is supposed to lend control to Russia, but, the countries are not interested in being taken over by communists.

Putin is attacking all the measures these countries have formulated to maintain their independence. That is all they want. They want to be independent from Russia, but, was more than willing to participate in free trade agreements. Free trade is not on Russia's agenda.

The question is will Russia survive a multi-front war?

I think Putin is screaming nukes because he is losing his quest. He may feel the need to dominate with such a weapon, but, no one is attacking Russia nor Russian sovereign borders. It is difficult justifying using nukes when Russian sovereignty is intact and without threat.

September 27, 2022

By Madalin Necsutu

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mihailo Podolyak (click here) told Pro TV Chisinau on Monday evening that his country will deliver more electricity if supplies are halted from the Cuciurgan power plant in Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, which operates on Russian gas.

“This [help with electricity] is indisputable. However, for us, it is a matter of principle. It is a matter of our humane attitude, absolutely benevolent towards our partners and neighbours,” said Pololyak.

Currently, EU aspirant state Moldova gets 67 per cent of its electricity from the Cuciurgan plant, while 33 per cent comes from Ukraine.

Moldova’s Minister of Infrastructure and Regional Development, Andrei Spinu, said on Monday evening that there has been no response from Gazprom about deliveries of Russian gas from October 1, when public heating is switched on for the winter season.

If there was a halt, Moldova has stored 35 million cubic metres of gas in Romania, which would last approximately ten days. The gas can be transported through the Iasi-Ungheni-Chisinau pipeline, which has been operating since 2021.

Spinu warned that if Russia halts supplies, the Moscow-backed Transnistria region would also be affected as it would have to buy gas at the market price and pay in advance.

Transnistria, a region on the left bank of the Dniester River with a de facto population of no more than 350,000 people, is dependent on Russian gas for the functioning of its economy. Russia has given passports to more than 220,000 of Transnistria’s residents and has peacekeeping troops based there....

People don't want communism as a governance authority. It is a hostile government. People don't want it.

23.09.2022
By Vladimir Solovyov

Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) (click here)

...In other areas where Russia also claims the role of a security guarantor, (click here) it’s not much better. Azerbaijan and Armenia have resumed their war: fighting that Moscow had supposedly stopped in 2020. More recently, another military conflict erupted between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, despite them both belonging to the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization. These factors cannot fail to take their toll on Russia’s authority and influence over its neighbors.

The tensions exist between the CISFTA member states and the EEU member states. EEU is a Russian alliance. I think what is going on here is obvious. Free Trade is not the real agenda for Russia. The picture for NATO involvement is larger than it appears. Russia is too stretched to maintain it's own sovereign military. Putin is stuck with decisions he cannot face. Dropping bombs is easy, maintaining order takes more than that.

Amid Moscow’s numerous diplomatic and military failings, Transnistria is becoming a tempting—and relatively easy—target for neighboring Ukraine. Kyiv’s claims that its armed forces could easily take control of the self-proclaimed republic are more than just talk.

Russian troops there serve side by side with local residents: Transnistrians who are Russian passport holders. For the latter, military service has more to do with earning a decent wage by local standards than it does with identity. This puts their willingness to fight in doubt, especially since it would be hard to send in reinforcements from Russia: given the Russian army’s failure to carve out a corridor through southern Ukraine, they could not make their way there overland, and flying them in would risk them being targeted by Ukraine’s air defenses....

Moldova has other problems that need to be addressed, such as longevity.

Moldovan citizens (click here) protest against some governmental measures in Great National Assembly Square, in front of the Arch of Triumph in Chisinau, Moldova, 26 August 2018.

They have too much stress. If their complaints were addressed and their quality of life higher, they won't want to emigrate. Extensive change needs to take place and the best place for that to occur is longevity, especially cardiac.

According to the latest WHO data published in 2020 Coronary Heart Disease Deaths in Moldova reached 14,292 or 37.00% of total deaths. The age adjusted Death Rate is 245.76 per 100,000 of population ranks Moldova #18 in the world.

The current life expectancy for Moldova in 2022 is 72.18 years, a 0.17% increase from 2021.

High salt intake (click here) is one of the main dietary risk factors for death and disability-adjusted life years globally, and one of the main risk factors for hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, stomach cancer and renal disease. Reducing salt consumption and improving dietary habits requires comprehensive policies targeting multiple sectors of the food system and active collaboration among of a variety of stakeholders. The Ministry of Health, along with “Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the WHO Country Office in the Republic of Moldova developed this EBP, supported by technical experts from WHO Regional Office for Europe, to be published under the guidance of the WHO European Evidence-informed Policy Network, to make available evidence-informed options for policy-makers to tackle the problem of reducing salt consumption in the Republic of Moldova. A working group convened by the Ministry of Health identified, selected, appraised and synthesized best available evidence on the problem; formulated the options for tackling it; and weighed up considerations in implementing each option. The seven options grouped across two approaches are: Approach 1 Structural population-level interventions, including (‎1.1)‎ Food product reformulation; (‎1.2)‎ Food labelling; (‎1.3)‎ Food procurement policy in specific settings; (‎1.4)‎ Restrictions on marketing to children; (‎1.5)‎ Pricing interventions; and Approach 2 Population-level behaviour change interventions, including (‎2.1)‎ Health education; and (‎2.2)‎ Information campaigns.

Moldovans complaints about Russia are exactly the same as Ukraine. Every place ya look countries in the region of Russia want air defense missiles. The former DOD Secretary Esper should have been a better salesman for the company he worked for, what was that? Oh, that's right, Raytheon. Where is everyone? There are sales for the Patriot System waiting in Eastern Europe.

October 19, 2022
By Jaroslaw Adamowski

Warsaw, Poland — Moldova’s Defence Minister Anatolie Nosatîi (click here) has said that the country aims to buy new air defense systems following recent airspace violations by the Russian military.

Nosatîi said that in the past days a number of Russian missiles were fired from the Black Sea and subsequently flew over Moldova’s territory to strike targets in Ukraine....

I like Moldova's style. Well done. Ask Mr. Non-grata if he actually wants to go back to Moscow. A lot of business people are dying there for some reason.

October 31, 2022

Chisinau - Moldova declared a Russian embassy employee (click here) in the capital Chisinau persona non grata on Monday, and Russian news agencies quoted Moscow as saying it would respond to the decision.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry did not identify the employee in a statement issued after the Russian ambassador was summoned and informed that the employee must leave Moldova....

According to Al Jazeera, Russia is illegally using Moldovan air space for striking Ukraine.

10 October 2022

Russian cruise missiles (click here) targeting Ukraine crossed Moldovan airspace, Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu has said, adding Moscow’s envoy has been summoned for an explanation.

“Three cruise missiles launched on Ukraine this morning from Russian ships in the Black Sea crossed Moldova’s airspace,” Popescu said on Twitter on Monday....

12 October 2022

Mr Geoană (click here) thanked Moldova for its contributions to the NATO-led KFOR mission in Kosovo, and commended the generosity of the Moldovan people in hosting Ukrainian refugees, driven to flee by Russia’s brutal war in Ukraine.

The Deputy Secretary General further underlined that NATO is committed to deepening its partnership with Moldova, including to boost resilience and civil preparedness. He welcomed Moldova's EU membership candidate status, saying that NATO and the EU will continue to coordinate closely to ensure that the support provided by both organisations is complementary, in support of democratic reforms and the modernisation of Moldova’s security and defence sector.

Mr Geoană reiterated NATO’s full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova, and NATO’s full respect for Moldova’s constitutional neutrality.

10 October 2022

OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Teresa Ribeiro during her meeting with Ambassador of Moldova Mihaela Mocanu (OSCE)

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (RFoM), Teresa Ribeiro, (click here) met today, 18 October 2022, with Ambassador Mihaela Mocanu to discuss the areas in which the RFoM’s institution can provide assistance to Moldova.

Ribeiro and Mocanu discussed, among other things, the challenges posed by disinformation and “fake news” and their effects on media freedom, including the importance of maintaining the enabling media environment as one of the crucial elements to address the issues.

Ribeiro and Mocanu agreed to engage in further discussions about the prospects of co-operation and a possible visit of the RFoM to Moldova.

October 6, 2022

By Lally Weymouth

Maia Sandu is a woman on a democratic mission in a war-torn neighborhood (click here) — the first honest president that Moldova has elected since breaking away from Russia in 1991. After a series of pro-Russian oligarchs enriched themselves at the expense of this small former Soviet republic, Sandu, a 50-year-old former World Bank employee and education minister, formed her own political party in 2016 to fight corruption. She was appointed prime minister in 2019 and elected president in 2020. Now, instead of focusing fully on criminal justice reforms, she is navigating the shock waves of Russia’s war against neighboring Ukraine and the impact of Russian cutbacks on gas sales to Europe. The Post’s Lally Weymouth sat down with Sandu this week in the presidential offices in Chisinau. Edited excerpts of their conversation:

Weymouth: How do you see the war in Ukraine going?

Sandu: We have condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine from the very first day. One year ago, none of us would have thought we would have a full-fledged war in Europe. Ukraine is fighting for the free world and is also defending us....

I think the Free World needs to put the brakes on speculation about a widening war.

October 23, 2022
By Catherine Belton

Smoke plumes rise from a suspected fuel depot in Odessa, Ukraine, that was hit by Russia early on April 3.

Chisinau, Moldova — When thousands of protesters (click here) first gathered in September outside Moldova’s presidential palace calling for the country’s pro-Western leader to step down, the man behind the demonstration — an opposition party leader in exile in Israel — soon received plaudits from Moscow.

One senior Russian politician praised the protest organizer, Ilan Shor, as “a worthy long-term partner” and even offered the Moldovan region led by Shor’s party a cheap Russian gas deal, according to Shor’s press service. Referred to as “the young one” by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), the 35-year-old Shor is a leading figure in the Kremlin’s efforts to subvert this former Soviet republic, intelligence documents and interviews with Moldovan, Ukrainian and Western officials show.....

Putin's GRE and any other person with cyber competency is being used to push for an expanded war. The propaganda of hysteria and speculation plays to Putin's wish list and not the best outcomes for anyone, including Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin has absolutely no respect for life in any form.

October 26, 2022
By Michael Crowley

The Biden administration (click here) on Wednesday imposed sanctions on more than 20 Moldovan and Russian individuals and entities for assisting Russian efforts to manipulate Moldova’s political system.

Moldova, like its neighbor Ukraine, wants closer relations with the West but has long battled Russian political interference and intimidation. Russian-backed separatists have controlled a strip of the country since 1992, and Moldovan leaders worry that should Russia prevail in Ukraine, their country may be Moscow’s next target.

The new American sanctions are aimed at punishing Moldovans allied with Moscow who have worked to keep the country in Russia’s sphere of influence.

In a statement, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken singled out two Moldovan oligarchs, Vladimir Plahotniuc and Ilan Shor. He said that Mr. Plahotniuc’s “bribery of law enforcement officials reflects his longstanding efforts to capture and corrupt Moldova’s judicial and law enforcement institutions, while using his wealth and political influence to undermine political rivals and rule of law in the country.”

Mr. Shor, he added, “has worked with other corrupt oligarchs and Moscow-based entities to create political unrest in Moldova and sought to undermine Moldova’s bid for E.U. candidate status.”...

Russia is the terrorist and when bombs fall into Moldova and Poland it is Putin saying, "If you continue to resist us, you will end up no different than Ukraine."

This GRAIN PLANT is no mistake. Russia is stating it was not their munitions. They lie. Russia has no credibility.

November 15, 2022
By Monika Pronczuk

...Mr. Mueller, (click here) the Polish government spokesman, said special procedures had been put in place, including boosting combat readiness of certain military units. He said the Polish government was also examining the possibility of triggering Article 4 of the NATO charter, under which members can consult with one another when a nation feels its territorial integrity or security has been threatened....

Russia would like it very much if Article 4 of the NATO treaty was enacted. A single strike is not a reason, no matter the validity of belonging to Russia, is not a reason to engage a huge war effort. It makes no sense. It isn't as though NATO is not ready, it is a matter of practical application of defense assets. You don't ask a surgeon to remove a splinter in the finger.

When the Pentagon is not forthcoming with more information than the press corp. has, this is the result. Hysteria and guessing. A dangerous emotional mix that could play to Putin's hopes.

Why do I get the feeling we will be seeing a lot more of these briefings?