In the first half of this year, the foreign trade of Moldova’s separatist Transnistrian region registered an increase of about 7% compared to the same period in 2022, according to data published by the customs committee of the region quoted by MoldStreet.

The trade deficit reached about $970mn, 22.6% more compared to the same period last year. This is not far from the country’s annual GDP (estimated at $1bn in 2021 but possibly driven up by global inflation) and is mainly financed by the non-payment of natural gas supplies from Russia.

The increase was mainly due to the approximately 12% y/y increase in the value of imports, to $1.32bn. At the same time, the region’s exports decreased by 10% to only $346.2mn in H1.

The data reveal that approximately 48.2% of exports were to the rest of Moldova — $167.1mn, of which approximately 60% was electricity, produced by Moldgres.

More than a third of the exports were to the states of the European Union — $116.3mn, of which over 52% were to Romania, and 18% to Poland.

Exports of goods to the Russian Federation constituted only 9% of the total (about $31mn).

The separatist region’s main goods exported were electricity (29%), metals (29%) and agricultural products (21%).

On the other hand, Russia holds the majority share of Transnistria’s imports — about 68.6% ($903.2mn) — especially as a result of imports of natural gas and other resources.

Imports from the EU amounted to $191.4mn (14.5% of the total), and those from Moldova to $87.9mn (6.7%).

Apart from gas and oil products, the Transnistrian region imported significant amounts of metals and scrap metal and agricultural products.