CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — On a frigid morning in Moldova’s capital, 39-year-old postal worker Petru Murzin braces for a difficult winter as he fears a looming energy shortage could leave many Moldovans with “no heating, no light.”
His concerns aren’t unfounded.
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FILE - A woman walks by a depiction of the European Union flag near a park in central Chisinau, Moldova, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A girl skates next to a statue of Lenin, with the words "Board of Honor" written in Cyrillic in Romanian and Russian in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A man sleeps on a bench in a park in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - Men collect water from a fountain in the village of Hrusevo, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A woman leaves at the end of a religious service inside the Saint John the Baptist cathedral in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A woman looks at a mobile ballot box in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - Men stand next to pipelines of the national natural gas distribution network outside Ungheni, Moldova, March 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja, File)
Attendants listen under the rain as a rabbi delivers an eulogy during a ceremony prior to the funeral of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan in Kfar Chabad, Israel, Monday Nov. 25, 2024. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, was killed last week in Dubai where he ran a kosher grocery store. Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
FILE - A worker sits on his water tank truck next to the business tower Lakhta Centre, the headquarters of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)
A woman casts her vote in a mobile ballot box during a presidential election runoff, in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
On Jan. 1, Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom is set to halt gas supplies to the European Union candidate country over an alleged $709 million debt for past supplies, a figure fiercely disputed by Moldova’s pro-Western government, that has accused Moscow of weaponizing energy as a political tool to destabilize the country.
“I feel that we’ve entered a crisis that is quite difficult to resolve … which worries me greatly,” Murzin told The Associated Press in Chisinau. “Price increases are one thing, but when there is no gas at all, that’s something entirely different.”
The cessation will stop gas flowing to the Kuciurgan power plant, the country’s largest, which is situated in the separatist pro-Russian Transnistria region. The gas-operated plant generates electricity that powers a significant portion of Moldova proper.
“There will be no heating, no light,” Murzin added. “We are entering a very difficult year."
Transnistria, which broke away after a short war in 1992 and is not recognized by most countries, also declared its own state of emergency earlier this month, fearing the region will not receive gas supplies. A large majority of Transnistria’s 470,000 people speak Russian as their first language and some 200,000 are Russian citizens.
On Dec. 13, Moldova’s parliament voted in favor of imposing a state of emergency in the energy sector, as the looming crisis threatened to leave the former Soviet republic without sufficient energy this winter, sparking fears it could trigger a humanitarian crisis in Transnistria, where the impact of the gas cutoff could be immediately felt.
Many observers have predicted that the looming energy shortage could force residents in Transnistria to travel to Moldova to seek basic amenities to get through winter, a season in which temperatures throughout the country regularly drop below subzero degrees Celsius.
Cristian Cantir, a Moldovan associate professor of international relations at Oakland University, says that Moscow is likely trying to exploit a “potential humanitarian crisis in Transnistria to overwhelm Moldova’s already-strained resources” to amplify tensions between Chisinau and the region's de facto capital, Tiraspol.
“It could stoke fears among the Moldovan electorate of a violent conflict, and give fodder to pro-Russian parties who will accuse Chisinau of being responsible for increased prices for gas and electricity, which will be a major campaign issue” ahead of the country's parliamentary elections in 2025, he said.
The unprecedented situation prompted Chisinau last week to implement a series of energy-saving measures beginning Jan. 1, which include reducing lighting in public and commercial buildings by at least 30%, and energy-intensive businesses operating during off-peak hours.
“We’ll probably have to save power till we have a solution,” said Nicoleta Neagu, who is from Moldova but works in Germany. “I hope we’ll look at this seriously and not waste power on not-so-useful things.”
After Gazprom announced it would halt gas flows, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean accused Moscow of using energy "as a political weapon” and said his government does not recognize the debt cited by the Russian energy giant, which he said has been “invalidated by an international audit.”
“This decision confirms once again the intention of the Kremlin to leave the inhabitants of the Transnistrian region without light and heat in the middle of the winter,” he said.
For 30-year-old Chisinau resident Iuliana, who did not want to give her surname, power outages would prevent her from doing her online job, which could also be untenable if the heating goes off in the middle of winter in the country of about 2.5 million people.
“We’re afraid, but we’re happy that there’s no snow and the temperatures aren’t that low and we can turn on the heating maybe only in the evening if we work at an office,” she said. “But I work from home and I’ll be directly affected.”
She also noted that Moldova has faced multiple crises in recent years, “But regarding power and gas, it’s the first time we face this,” she said.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu criticized Russia on Monday for Gazprom’s decision and said that the country has gas supplies “for the heating season” and measures will be taken “to ensure uninterrupted electricity supply,” adding that plans are also in place to provide humanitarian aid to residents in Transnistria.
“The Kremlin is again using energy blackmail in an attempt to destabilize the situation, to influence the 2025 parliamentary elections and to undermine our European journey,” she said. “It is important to remain united, show solidarity, and trust in Moldova and its people. And to use energy rationally.”
Olga Rosca, an adviser to Sandu, told the AP that most of Moldova, excluding Transnistria, “shouldn’t see major disruptions” and that “cheaper electricity previously supplied from the Transnistrian region will be replaced by more expensive imports from the EU.”
“In the Transnistrian region, however, the situation will be much more serious,” she said, “and any crisis there will inevitably affect all of Moldova."
Moldova has repeatedly claimed Russia is conducting a vast “hybrid war” by meddling in elections, funding anti-government protests and running vast disinformation campaigns to try to topple the government and derail the country's EU aspirations.
The Kuciurgan plant was privatized in 2004 by Transnistrian officials and later sold to a Russian state-owned company, but Chisinau doesn’t recognize the privatization. On Monday, Recean asked the justice minister to review nationalization legislation to potentially recover “strategic assets that were forcefully taken over,” referring to Moldovagaz, Moldova’s main gas operator in which Gazprom owns a majority stake.
Citing findings by British and Norwegian audit firms, Moldova claims its debt stands close to $8.6 million, a fraction of that claimed by the Russian energy giant. Gazprom said in a statement Saturday that it reserved the right to take further action, including terminating its contract with Moldovagaz.
In late 2022, months after Russia fully invaded neighboring Ukraine, Moldova suffered major power outages following Russian strikes on Ukraine, which is interconnected to the Kuciurgan plant.
When the war next door started, Moldova was entirely dependent on Moscow for natural gas but has since pushed to diversify and expand its energy sources, and now relies on obtaining gas from other European markets.
Murzin, the postal worker, is expecting to see large inflows of people from Transnistria crossing the border once the shortage hits.
“I think cars will line up for several kilometers at the border,” he said. “Many people will come here, hoping for warmth."
Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath in Warwick, England, contributed to this report.
FILE - A woman walks by a depiction of the European Union flag near a park in central Chisinau, Moldova, Oct. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A girl skates next to a statue of Lenin, with the words "Board of Honor" written in Cyrillic in Romanian and Russian in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A man sleeps on a bench in a park in Chisinau, Moldova, Friday, Oct. 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - Men collect water from a fountain in the village of Hrusevo, Moldova, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A woman leaves at the end of a religious service inside the Saint John the Baptist cathedral in Comrat, the capital of Gagauzia, an autonomous part of Moldova, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - A woman looks at a mobile ballot box in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)
FILE - Men stand next to pipelines of the national natural gas distribution network outside Ungheni, Moldova, March 4, 2015. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja, File)
Attendants listen under the rain as a rabbi delivers an eulogy during a ceremony prior to the funeral of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan in Kfar Chabad, Israel, Monday Nov. 25, 2024. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, was killed last week in Dubai where he ran a kosher grocery store. Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
FILE - A worker sits on his water tank truck next to the business tower Lakhta Centre, the headquarters of Russian gas monopoly Gazprom in St. Petersburg, Russia, April 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky, File)
A woman casts her vote in a mobile ballot box during a presidential election runoff, in the village of Ciopleni, Moldova, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean investigators spent hours waiting outside the official residence of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol as the presidential security service blocked them from executing a warrant to detain him, in the latest confrontation of a political crisis that has paralyzed South Korean politics and seen two heads of state impeached in under a month.
Yoon, a former prosecutor, has defied investigators' attempts to question him for weeks. The last time he is known to have left the residence was on Dec. 12, when he went to the nearby presidential office to make a televised statement to the nation, making a defiant statement that he will fight efforts to oust him.
Investigators from the country's anti-corruption agency are weighing charges of rebellion after Yoon, apparently frustrated that his policies were blocked by an opposition-dominated parliament, declared martial law on Dec. 3 and dispatched troops to surround the National Assembly.
Parliament overturned the declaration within hours in an unanimous vote and impeached Yoon on Dec. 14, accusing him of rebellion, while South Korean anti-corruption authorities and public prosecutors opened separate investigations into the events.
A Seoul court issued a warrant for Yoon’s detention on Tuesday, but enforcing it is complicated as long as he remains in his official residence.
Yoon's lawyers, who filed a challenge to the warrant on Thursday, say it cannot be enforced at his residence due to a law that protects locations potentially linked to military secrets from search without the consent of the person in charge. The warrant is valid for one week.
They've also argued that the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, which is leading a joint investigation with police and military investigators, lacks the authority to investigate rebellion charges. They said that police officers don't have the legal authority to assist in detaining Yoon, and could face arrest by either the “presidential security service or any citizens.” They didn’t elaborate further on the claim.
If investigators manage to detain Yoon, they will likely ask a court for permission to make a formal arrest. Otherwise, he will be released after 48 hours.
Thousands of police officers gathered at Yoon’s residence on Friday, forming a perimeter around a growing group of pro-Yoon protesters who braved subfreezing temperatures for hours, waving South Korean and American flags while chanting slogans in his support. There were no immediate reports of major clashes outside the residence.
Nearly five hours after dozens of investigators and police officers were seen entering the gate of the residence in Seoul to execute a warrant for Yoon’s detention, the dramatic scene appeared to have developed into a standoff. Two of Yoon’s lawyers, Yoon Kap-keun and Kim Hong-il, were seen entering the gate of the presidential residence around noon.
Seok Dong-hyeon, one of several lawyers on Yoon’s legal team, confirmed that the investigators arrived at the building but said it was unlikely that they would be able to detain the president on Friday. He said the agency’s efforts to detain Yoon were “reckless” and showed an “outrageous discard for law.”
The anti-corruption agency didn’t immediately reply to questions about whether investigators successfully entered Yoon’s residential building, but South Korea’s YTN television reported scuffles as investigators and police confronted the presidential security forces.
South Korea’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the investigators and police officers got past a military unit guarding the residence’s grounds before arriving at the building. The presidential security service, which controls the residence itself, refused to comment on whether its members were confronting investigators and whether they planned to block the detention attempt.
The liberal opposition Democratic Party called on the country’s acting leader, Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok, to order the presidential security service to stand down. Choi didn’t immediately comment on the situation.
“Do not drag the upright staff of the presidential security service and other public officials into the depths of crime,” said Jo Seung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker. Choi must “remember that swiftly addressing the rebellion and preventing further chaos is your responsibility,” Jo said.
Yoon’s defense minister, police chief and several top military commanders have already been arrested over their roles in the period of martial law.
Yoon’s presidential powers have been suspended since the National Assembly voted to impeach him on Dec. 14. Yoon’s fate now lies with the Constitutional Court, which has begun deliberations on whether to uphold the impeachment and formally remove Yoon from office or reinstate him. At least six justices on the nine-member Constitutional Court must vote in favor to remove him from office.
The National Assembly voted last week to impeach Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who became acting president after Yoon’s powers were suspended, over his reluctance to fill three Constitutional Court vacancies ahead of the court’s review of Yoon’s case.
Facing growing pressure, the new acting president, Choi, appointed two new justices on Tuesday, which could increase the chances of the court upholding Yoon’s impeachment.
Vehicles, right, carrying investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers stand guard as they wait for the arrival of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol near the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police vehicles are seen near the gate of the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers stand guard as they wait for the arrival of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol near the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials in Gwacheon, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials walk up a slope inside the premises of impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol's residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (Lee Jin-wook/Yonhap via AP)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A huge screen showing a file footage of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read, "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police vehicles are seen near the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Police officers arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lie down on the ground as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol lie down on the ground as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
FILE - In this photo provided by the South Korean President Office, the country's President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks at the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Dec. 14, 2024. (South Korean Presidential Office via AP, File)
Police officers escort away a supporter of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol as Yoon faces potential arrest after a court on Tuesday approved a warrant for his arrest, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The signs read, "Oppose impeachment." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Investigators from the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials arrive at the gate of the presidential residence as supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of impeached South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stage a rally to oppose a court having issued a warrant to detain Yoon, as police offices stand guard near the presidential residence in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 3, 2025. The letters read "Oppose Impeachment." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
