Gas cut-offs and Transnistria alarm: Europe's tense final week of April 2022
A look back at the Gazprom suspension to Poland and Bulgaria and Moldova's emergency security meeting, reported in the days to 27 April 2022.
What did Europe's eastern flank look like on 27 April 2022? Two developments from the preceding days framed it: a halt to Russian gas deliveries to two EU members, and a security alarm in Moldova.
Gas deliveries halted
On 26 April 2022, Gazprom announced that it would stop delivering natural gas to Poland via the Yamal–Europe pipeline, and to Bulgaria. Both countries had rejected Russia's demand to pay for the gas in Russian rubles.
The consequences differed. Poland did not expect disruption from the suspension. For Bulgaria, which was almost completely dependent on Russian gas, the halt posed what was described as a serious challenge to the security of supply.
Moldova convenes its security council
On 25 April 2022, the office of the Transnistrian Ministry of State Security in Tiraspol was attacked with grenade launchers. The building was reported damaged, but no casualties were reported.
The next day, 26 April, Moldova's Supreme Security Council held an emergency meeting after the attacks in the breakaway region of Transnistria. President Maia Sandu said the attacks aimed at destabilising the situation in the region. She added that the military would improve its combat readiness and increase patrols on the border with Transnistria.
Together, the reports of 25 and 26 April showed pressure on European states from both energy supply and regional security.
