Moldova puts its debt to Gazprom at $8.6 mln, Russian firm disagrees

But Gazprom and its Moldovan subsidiary said in late 2021 it had accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in debt. Moldova Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said an international audit had shown that the publicly owned natural gas distributor Moldovagaz owed only $8.6 million, and that Chisinau "does not intend to pay non-existent debts".

Moldova said on Wednesday it owed Gazprom $8.6 million for gas, a fraction of the $709 million claimed by the Russian oil and gas group and which Gazprom said it would keep seeking to recover.

The former Soviet republic, nestled between Ukraine and European Union member Romania, used to buy Russian natural gas. But Gazprom and its Moldovan subsidiary said in late 2021 it had accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Moldova Energy Minister Victor Parlicov said an international audit had shown that the publicly owned natural gas distributor Moldovagaz owed only $8.6 million, and that Chisinau "does not intend to pay non-existent debts". Prime Minister Dorin Recean added: "After clarifications regarding the debt for natural gas, Moldova and citizens are not obliged to pay the corresponding bills."

Russia's Foreign Ministry urged Moldova to refrain from politicizing the issue of energy supplies. "From our side, we would like to note that Gazprom has been a reliable supplier of energy for decades," spokeswoman Maria Zakharov said on the ministry's website.

U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller welcomed the audit, saying Washington supported Moldova's efforts to diversify its energy sources. "It should come as no surprise that Gazprom could not substantiate the exorbitant bill that Russia expected the Moldovan people to pay," Miller said in a statement.

Gazprom said it "categorically disagrees with the claims of the Moldovan side and intends to continue to defend its rights in every possible way". The Kremlin-controlled company put the debt at $709 million a year ago, although the sum may have increased with the addition of interest.

Parlicov said the auditors had not received documents from Moldovagaz and Gazprom to cover $276 million of the alleged debt. "This is not to say that these documents don't exist, just that they weren't provided to the auditors," he told reporters.

Another $400 million could not be repaid for a number of procedural reasons, he said, adding the government had shared the results of the audit with Moldovagaz and Gazprom. President Maia Sandu was quoted as saying on Sunday that the audit disproved Gazprom's claim. She has previously said that Moldova has no debts to Gazprom for natural gas.