Moldovans grapple with outages as energy crisis grips pro-Russia region

COPANCA, Moldova (AP) — Every time planned electrical outages are imposed on his village in southern Moldova, 73-year-old retiree Vasili Donici passes the time solving crosswords and puzzles in a room he illuminates with a small gas lamp.

“It’s a bit hard without electricity,” said the former deputy school director, who has stockpiled firewood to ensure he can use his wood-burning stove in the room he shares with his wife to stay warm. “There’s still gas … but it will end soon.”

The village of Copanca is situated just several kilometers (miles) across the de facto border from Moldova’s separatist pro-Russian Transnistria region, where hundreds of thousands of people have been left without heating and hot water after Russia halted gas supplies to the region on Jan. 1, over an alleged $709 million debt for past supplies to Moldova.

The decision by Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom, which came into effect a day after a gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine expired, halted gas supplies to Transnistria’s gas-operated Kuciurgan power plant, the country’s largest, which provided a significant portion of Moldova’s electricity.

Copanca, like over a dozen other towns or villages administered by Moldovan authorities in the capital Chisinau but situated close to Transnistria, remains interconnected to the separatist region’s Soviet-era energy infrastructure leaving them vulnerable amid the energy crisis.

Planned daily electrical outages throughout Transnistria — which includes Copanca — are currently scheduled for four hours twice a day. While the Kuciurgan power plant transitioned to coal and has led to some unexpected outages, some residual gas remained in the pipes.

“It’s hard to get by with the electricity and gas shortages,” said Donici. “Yesterday, we were without power for eight hours. Everyone is scratching their heads, figuring out what to do, so they don’t freeze.”

Citing findings by British and Norwegian audit firms, Moldova’s pro-Western government claims its debt stands close to $8.6 million, and has accused Moscow of weaponizing energy to destabilize the European Union candidate country. Russia has denied it is meddling in Moldova.

Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean this week accused Russia of artificially creating an energy crisis to cause “instability in the region” and “to influence the results of the parliamentary elections” that Moldova will hold later in 2025.

“What they want to achieve is to have a pro-Russian government in Moldova that would ultimately allow for the consolidation of the military capacity of Russia in the Transnistrian region, and correspondingly to use this leverage over Ukraine,” Recean told journalists in a closed call with other senior officials on Monday.

Transnistria — which broke away after a short war in 1992 and is not recognized by most countries — declared a state of emergency last month as the gas crisis loomed. A large majority of Transnistria’s roughly 350,000 people speak Russian as their first language. Around 200,000 are Russian citizens, 100,000 are Ukrainian citizens, and more than 90% of the region’s population also possesses Moldovan citizenship. Russia also bases about 1,500 troops in a so-called frozen conflict zone as “peacekeepers.”

Moldova has repeatedly claimed Russia is conducting a sprawling “hybrid war” against it 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.

Last month, Moldova’s parliament also voted to impose a state of emergency in the energy sector, as the crisis threatened to leave the former Soviet republic without sufficient energy this winter, and fears that the situation could trigger a humanitarian crisis in Transnistria, where temperatures often drop to subzero degrees Celsius.

The looming crisis also prompted Chisinau 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.

Moldova's state energy company, Energocom, has increased electricity purchases from neighboring Romania to ensure capacity but are also more costly. Although a mild January is helping matters, energy prices have increased and the government has said it will provide help to offset bills.

EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, wrote on the social media platform X this week that Russia “continues to use gas as a weapon and once again Moldova is a target of its hybrid warfare," adding that “Thanks to EU support Moldova remains resilient and well-connected to European energy networks."

Moldova’s government this week announced plans to connect more than a dozen towns and villages under Chisinau’s control that are interconnected with energy infrastructure in Transnistria to energy networks in Moldova.

Afanasii Cutzari, the mayor of Copanca, says that so far the situation is manageable with planned electrical outages, but that if, or when, the gas runs out, "then there will be problems.”

“Where possible, people bought generators, but that’s also not a solution,” he said. “Even with a generator, someone needs to start it, a person who understands how to use it. It requires money, staff.”

Cutzari added that institutions in his village including a kindergarten, medical facilities, an ambulance, city hall and a post office would struggle if the gas ran out entirely. “It would be better if electricity and gas were always available,” he said.

Prime Minister Recean said that since the beginning of the energy crisis, his government in Chisinau has “proposed organizing procurement for purchasing gas on behalf of the Transnistrian side," but that authorities in the region’s de facto capital, Tiraspol, have refused.

“Tiraspol is not autonomous in the decisions it makes,” he said on Thursday. “This crisis is induced by the Russian Federation in order to destabilize the Republic of Moldova and to use the Republic of Moldova in Russia’s war against Ukraine.”

After visiting Copanca and other villages in a similar bind on Thursday, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said some kindergartens and schools have been provided with power generators, and that mayors can request help from Chisinau to supply firewood, wood-burning pellets, and generators.

“We communicated with them that we are doing our best to provide them alternatives that provide light, water and heat for their families,” she said, adding that Moldova is discussing “potential assistance” with external partners.

Carina Cazac, the owner of a convenience store in Copanca, said locals rushed to purchase essentials like oil and flour when the crisis hit, and that generators and oil lamps quickly sold out.

“A lot of people were stressed, and they started buying gas lamps,” she said. “It's easier in the villages because most people have wood-burning stoves … others bought generators.”

But, she added, “Prices have risen significantly, and not everyone can afford a generator."

Associated Press writer Stephen McGrath reported from Sighisoara, Romania.

A man waits at a bus stop in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Lights are reflected in the water at dusk from the left bank of the Dniester river, the border between Moldova and Transnistria, seen from Molovata, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Carina Cazac, a shop owner, checks merchandise in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Electrical heaters on display in a village shop in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Carina Cazac, a shop owner, stands next to electrical heaters in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

A car heads to a border crossing between Moldova and Transistria in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Electrical heaters on display in a village shop in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

A ferry sails to the left bank of the Dniester river, the border between Moldova and Transnistria, seen from Molovata, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Moldova's President Maia Sandu crosses a road during a visit to areas affected by gas and electricity shortages in Varnita, Moldova, Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Aurel Obreja)

A trailer with fire wood for sale is parked on the side of the road in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Camping gas canisters on display in a village shop in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

A trailer with fire wood for sale is parked on the side of the road in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Retired teacher Vasile Donici lights a gas lamp in his home in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Retired teacher Vasile Donici lights a gas lamp in his home in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

Retired teacher Vasile Donici speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, backdropped by firewood stock in Copanca, Moldova, Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. (AP Photo)

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Jim Harbaugh’s football philosophy is rooted in being physical on both sides of the ball and wearing down an opponent.

However, when it comes to relating to his players, it is nothing but love, respect and adulation.

Like he did with the San Francisco 49ers and the University of Michigan, Harbaugh has turned around the fortunes of the Los Angeles Chargers. The Bolts finished 11-6 in the regular season — a six-win improvement — and are back in the playoffs, where they will face the Houston Texans on Saturday in an AFC wild-card round game.

“I just pretty much take on the personality of the team wherever I go,” Harbaugh said earlier this season. “The love Derwin James has for football, I gravitated to that immediately. The humble warrior Khalil Mack is, everything about Justin Herbert. The toughness, competitiveness and confidence of our players, I want to take on a little bit of that. I want a lot of that in my personality and in my life to keep going. It’s infectious.”

Harbaugh made an early impression on his new team. He participated in conditioning drills with players during offseason workouts. He also had players’ hometowns and recruiting rankings on their nameplates in the locker room to show how everyone got to the NFL.

Before the Sept. 8 opener against Las Vegas, players received a blue-collar work shirt from Harbaugh with an embroidered name patch and the Chargers lightning bolt logo. The shirts looked like those worn by filing station attendants and mechanics. Harbaugh said the shirts for him paid homage to his grandfather, Joe Cipiti, who worked in filling stations and was a self-taught mechanic who ended up teaching automobile mechanics at a trade school in Cleveland, but also to members of players' families who worked in the same type of jobs.

“I feel like that galvanized the team a lot because growing up as a kid, I saw a lot of people in the community who were hard workers. They always had that nameplate and always represented who that person was,” James said. “Just to have that means a lot to us.”

Harbaugh has continued the motivational gifts throughout the season.

After a 17-13 victory over the Falcons on Dec. 1, players received a black metal lunch pail with their names and one of Harbaugh’s favorite words — stalwart — on the front. There were also sweatshirts with the date and score after the Chargers 34-27 victory over the Bengals in a prime-time game on Nov. 17 and the 40-7 win at New England on Dec. 28 that wrapped up a playoff spot.

“To some people, it may seem cheesy, but I enjoy those life gifts,” James said. “It’s been helping to set the culture. We wouldn’t be in the postseason without all the details and stuff we’ve done doing.”

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who was also on Harbaugh’s staff at Stanford and San Francisco, said the area where Harbaugh has evolved the most has been relating his experiences as a player or a coach.

Roman said the stories from Harbaugh’s 15-year playing career or previous coaching stops can help reinforce the message at different points of the season.

Harbaugh’s stories — and there have been plenty — still resonate. Players still mention Harbaugh telling the story of remembering the day he was born on the first day of training camp as one of their favorites.

“This thing is always changing with the mood of the team; what just happened, and where are we in the season? I think it can create some great perspective and bring them into one vision instead of reading a line item on the PowerPoint,” Roman said. “With Jim, he has an art to his storytelling. There’s always a moral to the stories, always, like one of those After School specials when you were a kid."

The player Harbaugh might have had the most enormous effect on is Herbert. Harbaugh has been Herbert’s biggest supporter from the time he was hired and catches passes from his quarterback during pregame warmups.

Harbaugh also spends plenty of time in the quarterback room watching film with Herbert.

“The things we’ve learned from him ... I can’t tell you how much. So it’s cool to be able to share that and learn from him,” Herbert said.

NaVorro Bowman, who played for Harbaugh in San Francisco, has developed more of an appreciation for Harbaugh now that he is on his coaching staff with the Chargers.

Bowman knew Harbaugh loved football, but now he gets to see how much on a daily basis.

“Now I understand why he’s so good at what he does. He doesn’t waste a minute. I mean, if he can squeeze out everything in a minute, he will squeeze it out,” Bowman said. “I didn’t get to see or pay attention to it while playing. But now I understand why he’s so successful is because work is what he loves to do.”

Bowman also sees many similarities in the Chargers and the 2011 49ers, who went from 6-10 to 13-3 and reached the NFC championship game before losing to the New York Giants.

“No one expected us to be where we are today, and the only way that happened is because everyone here treats everyone with respect, respects each other’s space, and grinds,” he said.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh listens to a reporter's question during a news conference following an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert (10) celebrates with head coach Jim Harbaugh during the second half of an NFL football game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Las Vegas, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/John Locher)