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The pro-Russian administration of Gagauzia negotiated a gas tariff 10-20 times lower than the one paid by the rest of the Moldovan population, writes the Russian press, which takes over and amplifies a piece of campaign disinformation.
NEWS: If the gas promised by the governor of Gagauzia, Evgenia Gutul, reaches Moldova, it will be distributed among all the citizens of the country, not only among the consumers of autonomous Gagauzia, the country's president, Maia Sandu, said on Jurnal TV.”
[...] "A few days before, Governor Evgenia Gutul stated that the inhabitants of Gagauzia will pay 10 lei (equivalent to 51 Russian rubles) per cubic meter of natural gas in the winter, which means 10-20 times less than what the Moldovan consumer pays.
The governor announced that she had signed an agreement with a Turkish company to supply gas to Gagauzia at a "special price". Moreover, Gutul claims that negotiations are underway to offer "help" to consumers in Orhei and Taraclia districts.
NARRATIVE: Pro-Russian forces (coordinated by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor) are able to provide the population with cheap gas.
LOCAL CONTEXT/ ETHOS: The Republic of Moldova has been faced with a complex energy crisis, deepened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Being practically totally dependent on imported energy resources and having citizens with the lowest purchasing power in Europe, the increase in prices for this category of products has affected the Republic of Moldova both economically and socially.
Since last autumn, in addition to high prices, the Republic of Moldova has also had to deal with a deficit. On October 1, 2022, Gazprom started to deliver only 70% of the gas volume stipulated in the contract, and a month later it covered only about half. At that time, the Republic of Moldova imported approximately 30% of its electricity needs from Ukraine, but the deliveries stopped due to the destruction of the energy infrastructure by the Russian bombings. Shortly after, the Cuciurgan Power Plant, located in the separatist region on the left bank of the Dniester, but which belongs to a Russian company, suspended electricity supplies to the right bank of the Dniester. The plant used to cover 70% of the energy requirement. Under these circumstances, the Republic of Moldova was forced to buy from Romania, at a higher price. Later it started to procure gas from other markets and deliver all the gas received from Gazprom to the left of the Dniester to ensure the operation of the Plant. The price of gas reached a record level for the Republic of Moldova, but started to decrease in the summer. Now, the right bank of the Dniester procures gas from European markets, and the left bank receives it from Gazprom.
The Baschkan of Gagauzia, Evghenia Gutul, won the election held this spring after a controversial ballot, being accused of buying votes. She is the representative of the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor, convicted in the large-scale bank fraud of 2014 and accused of trying to divert the European course of the Republic of Moldova in the interests of Moscow. Gutul won thanks to some populist promises, including that she would bring cheaper gas.
Gutul talked about an alleged gas delivery contract for Gagauzia, concluded with a Turkish company, at a price of 10 Moldovan lei (approximately 0.5 euros) per cubic meter. The statements triggered an exchange of accusations with the authorities, given that it is not clear from which sources the difference in the price, which is lower than the market price, is covered; in addition, there are doubts about the validity of the contract, but it is also not clear how can a region be technically provided with cheaper gas.
In fact, a year ago Shor had promised cheaper gas for the Orhei district a region politically dominated by his own representatives, but nothing happened afterwards.
President Maia Sandu, who questioned the veracity of the contract, has indeed stated that if such gas reaches Moldova, it will be distributed equally to all citizens.
PURPOSE: To increase the popularity of Shor and his team by presenting them as the forces that can find the best solutions for the population. To undermine the image of the pro-European government.
WHY THE NARRATIVE IS FALSE: First of all, it should be noted that the gas price that Gutul is promising is not "10-20 times lower" than what other consumers pay. The gas tariff in the Republic of Moldova is approximately 18 lei, which is not even double the price mentioned by Gutul.
In addition to the mathematical error, intentional or not, what the article presents as a truth - namely the existence of a contract that will provide consumers in Gagauzia with cheaper gas - is called into question in Chisinau, and the investigative press found that none of the companies involved have any experience in this field; they are companies that operate in different fields of activity or have been practically inactive until now.
Gutul made an announcement about the gas delivery contract on October 31, that is, in the last week of the campaign for local elections in the Republic of Moldova , where representatives of the parties associated with Ilan Shor were also candidates. According to the contract she presented, the Turkish company would undertake to deliver 100 million cubic meters of gas for Gagauzia, which would represent about 12% of the annual consumption of the Republic of Moldova, without the separatist region.
On the other hand, the Minister of Energy, Victor Parlicov termed the contract as a ‘fake” stating that it is technically impossible to deliver specific volumes of gas per district. Gutul later published the contract, as well as other documents that would have proved its validity, but did not convince the experts from Chisinau. "Gutul presented another paper, an alleged proof of payment for the "procurement of gas". First of all, this is not evidence of payment, it’s just a simple letter without any value", commented the energy expert Sergio Tofilat.
At the same time, RISE Moldova checked the companies involved in the transaction and discovered that the Moldovan company has changed owners several times in the last weeks, the Turkish company did not present evidence that it also operates in the field of gas supply, and the intermediate company from Germany was founded and is run by one Nataliya Frenkel, née Zakharova.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: Gutul has declared and presented an alleged delivery contract for gas cheaper than the one on the market, and Maia Sandu has stated that if the gas arrives, it will be distributed equally.
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