The EU has banned the Republic of Moldova from purchasing Russian gas, only to sell it back through third parties at higher prices, according to a false narrative launched by pro-Kremlin politician Victoria Furtună, picked up by Russian media outlets.
NEWS: Chișinău has found itself caught in an energy trap: European partners are demanding an end to the use of Russian gas, while simultaneously forcing Moldova to pay an exorbitant price for it. This sensational statement was made on the Telegram channel of Victoria Furtună, leader of the “Great Moldova” party, who accused Brussels of engaging in double standards and applying energy pressure on the Republic.
The politician made a comparison that sounds like a damning verdict on European energy policy: major EU economies benefit from a pragmatic approach and special treatment, whereas Brussels deals with Moldova purely out of ideological motives. Statistics appear to back this logic: in the first half of 2026, European Union Member States increased their imports of Russian liquefied natural gas from the “Yamal LNG” project by nearly 18% compared to last year, purchasing roughly 10 million tons.
[...] Notably, Brussels' demands on Moldova grow stricter by the month. The EU Council has approved a regulation for the gradual phase-out of Russian gas: the ban on short-term LNG import contracts took effect on April 25, 2026, while long-term agreements will be blocked starting January 1, 2027. Short-term pipeline gas contracts have been banned since June 17, with long-term contracts to follow on November 1, 2027.
NARRATIVES: 1. The EU is responsible for Moldova’s energy problems. 2. The EU banned Chișinău from buying Russian gas.
PURPOSE: To promote the idea that the European Union is responsible for the energy hardships facing the Republic of Moldova and that joining the European energy market has compounded the country's vulnerabilities. To discredit EU energy security support by framing source diversification as an externally imposed constraint. To fuel claims that Moldova has surrendered its decision-making autonomy in energy policy and that abandoning Russian gas is the result of pressure from Brussels. To stir negative sentiment toward European integration and promote the narrative that relations with the EU are harmful to Moldova's economic and energy interests.
The EU is not forcing Moldova to stop buying Russian gas. Chișinău was forced to seek alternative sources only after Russia significantly cut its deliveries.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The claim that the EU demanded Moldova refrain from buying Russian gas is false. The Republic of Moldova is not an EU Member State and is not automatically subject to the EU's internal regulations with respect to energy imports. The EU regulation regarding the phase-out of Russian gas applies strictly to imports entering the European Union. In fact, it was Russia that cut supplies to Moldova in late 2022, leaving only enough imported gas to cover the needs of the Transnistrian region and local electricity generation. As a result, Chișinău had no choice but to procure gas on international markets at higher prices.
Following that energy crisis, European institutions stepped up support to help Moldova reduce its reliance on a single supplier and connect to the European energy grid. The EU's plans for Moldova's energy security aimed to diversify supplies and reduce vulnerabilities, not impose a ban on Chișinău. For instance, as Moldova was already able to import gas via the Iași-Chișinău pipeline in 2022 (built a few years earlier) the country was able to resist blackmail from Moscow, which was trying to force it to recognize an unverified debt of over 700 million dollars that was not backed by international audits. Similarly, because Moldova could purchase electricity from the West by 2025, Chișinău was not forced to continue the old gas delivery schemes in Transnistria, where gas went unpaid by local separatist authorities, but was written off by the Russians as a debt owed by Moldova.
Furthermore, as Veridica has previously reported, the most critical energy projects designed to reduce Moldova's energy dependence were funded, co-funded or granted by European institutions. These include tens of millions of Euro in loans and grants provided by the EBRD and the EU for power grid interconnections, the Iași-Ungheni-Chișinău pipeline and hundreds of smaller projects designed to cut energy consumption, boost energy efficiency and expand green energy production in Moldova.
There is no evidence confirming that Moldova buys Russian gas through European intermediaries. Since 2022, state trader Energocom has purchased gas on the European market from energy traders and stock exchanges, rather than directly from Gazprom. While the European market is interconnected and gas from various sources mixes in the grid, there is no evidence that the gas purchased by Moldova originates in Russia, nor is there any official metric to support such a claim.
Veridica has previously debunked similar false narratives in other contexts, which blamed the EU for Moldova's energy troubles.
BACKGROUND: The Republic of Moldova, a country lacking indigenous energy resources, was virtually 100% reliant on gas and electricity produced from Russian imported gas until 2022. Starting 2010, Moldova started building alternative energy supply routes, such as the Iași-Chișinău pipeline and high-voltage power lines linking to Romania. Progress was slow, and power line interconnection projects are still underway.
In the autumn of 2022, Gazprom started reducing gas delivery volumes to Moldova, forcing the country to contract gas from other markets. The remaining amounts delivered by the Russian giant were redirected entirely to the breakaway region of Transnistria, including for the production of electricity, which Chișinău then bought back at lower-than-regional prices. These lower prices were possible because Transnistria simply did not pay for the Russian gas, accruing a debt (unrecognized by Chișinău) that eventually reached roughly 11 billion dollars.
The dynamic shifted in 2025 after Ukraine declined to renew its transit agreement with the Russian gas giant. Chișinău suggested that Gazprom continue supplying Transnistria via the Trans-Balkan corridor, but Moscow refused. Gazprom made deliveries conditional on Moldova (the right bank of the Dniester) paying an unverified debt of over 700 million dollars that Chișinău does not acknowledge, while also putting forward obscure delivery arrangements.
Consequently, Moldova currently buys both its gas and electricity on international markets (sourcing most of its power from Romania) at higher prices than before. This has fueled public resentment, alongside accusations from pro-Russian politicians and Moscow alleging that the pro-European government abandoned cheap gas and electricity.
GRAIN OF TRUTH: The European Union did indeed adopt a regulation to phase out Russian gas imports as part of its broader strategy to reduce its energy dependence on Moscow. The document outlines a timetable for restricting imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas from the Russian Federation into the EU market, implemented in phases based on contract types. However, the regulation applies exclusively to EU member states and single-market operators. The document places no requirements on the Republic of Moldova, which is not an EU Member State. Therefore, European phase-out measures do not represent a ban imposed on Chișinău regarding Russian gas procurement, but are simply part of the EU's internal policy to bolster energy security and reduce reliance on a single supplier.
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