Russia is seeking a new intermediary to facilitate payments for natural gas deliveries to Moldova’s breakaway Transnistrian region, after European banks reportedly blocked financial transfers routed through Dubai, board member of state energy trader Energocom Alexandru Slusari said on October 6, according to Deschide.

The disruption has prolonged the energy crisis in the separatist enclave, which local authorities in Tiraspol initially said would last around ten days.

According to Slusari, the issue stems from Russia’s difficulty in finding a company able to process payments for the gas supplied through a Hungarian intermediary.

“European banks, after a certain number of transactions, block the scheme because they do not see the economic sense of the transactions, when the money is paid as a donation,” he explained.

He added that a fourth company registered in the United Arab Emirates is currently attempting to secure cooperation from a European bank, but no institution within the EU has so far agreed to participate.

Since Ukraine banned the transit of Russian gas through its territory on January 1 this year, Transnistria has been receiving gas purchased on the European market through a Hungarian trader, with payments made by Moscow via intermediaries based in the UAE.

The financial blockade now threatens to extend energy shortages in the separatist territory. Last week, Tiraspol authorities introduced a gas-saving regime, leading to the suspension of centralised hot water supplies in several localities.

The situation highlights Transnistria’s growing dependence on complex and fragile financing arrangements for its energy supplies, as Western sanctions and tightened compliance standards limit Moscow’s ability to channel support to the region.