Gas cut-offs and Transnistria attacks: Europe's pressure points in late April 2022
A look back at how Gazprom's suspension of supplies and attacks in Transnistria unsettled Poland, Bulgaria and Moldova.
What did the days leading up to 27 April 2022 reveal about Russia's reach beyond Ukraine's borders? Two separate developments, in energy and in security, pointed to pressure on neighbouring states.
Gas on rouble terms
On 26 April 2022, Gazprom announced it would stop delivering natural gas to Poland through the Yamal–Europe pipeline and to Bulgaria. Both countries had rejected Russia's demand that they pay for the fuel in roubles. The consequences differed sharply. Poland did not expect disruption from the suspension. For Bulgaria, which is almost completely dependent on Russian gas, the halt posed a serious challenge to security of supply.
The contrast shows how much exposure to a single supplier determined each country's room to refuse the payment demand.
Alarm in Moldova
On 25 April 2022, the office of the Transnistrian Ministry of State Security in Tiraspol was attacked with grenade launchers. The building was damaged, and no casualties were reported.
On 26 April 2022, Moldova's Supreme Security Council held an emergency meeting. President Maia Sandu said the attacks were aimed at destabilising the situation in the region. She added that the military would improve combat readiness and increase patrols on the border with Transnistria.
What the two episodes had in common
The events were distinct: one a commercial and energy dispute, the other a security incident in a breakaway region. Yet both landed within a single 24-hour span and both forced governments, in Warsaw, Sofia and Chișinău, to reassess their security. Poland said it expected no disruption. Bulgaria faced a supply challenge. Moldova moved to tighten its border posture.
