Moldova's President Maia Sandu announced today that an audit conducted by a global company has disproven the claim by Russian gas giant Gazprom that her government owes the company $800 million. Moldova has traditionally purchased Russian natural gas, but in late 2021, Gazprom and its Moldovan subsidiary stated that there were accumulated debts amounting to millions of dollars that needed to be paid to ensure future supply stability.
Gazprom had set the debt at $709 million since last year; however, the amount may have increased due to additional interest. The Moldovan news site (Nocta.md) reported that Sandu stated in a public meeting that the audit refuted these claims, although it was unclear from her comments if there was a lesser amount of debt. Sandu mentioned that the Kishinev government would issue an official statement regarding the findings in the coming days. Gazprom did not respond to a request for comment.
Since December of last year, the pro-European Moldovan government has been purchasing gas from other European sources with the support of loans from EU institutions. Moldova is a former Soviet republic located between Ukraine and EU member Romania.
