The Moldovan government will propose to parliament that a state of emergency be declared in the energy sector for a period of 60 days, starting March 25, 2026, following the disconnection of the main Vulcănești–Isaccea power line as a result of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s civilian energy infrastructure. This was reported on the Moldovan government’s official website.
The Vulcănești–Isaccea line is the main artery for electricity imports and supplies 60–70% of the consumption on the right bank of Moldova. Authorities estimate a potential power deficit during peak hours at up to 350–400 MW starting March 25.
The Moldovan government stated that the state of emergency will allow for the rapid procurement of energy resources and emergency equipment, faster distribution of necessary resources, and, if necessary, the implementation of measures to restrict consumption and special operating rules for economic operators to protect critical infrastructure and social institutions.
At the same time, officials in Chisinau emphasize that consumers are currently being supplied with electricity from domestic sources and imports via alternative routes, including four 110 kV interconnection lines with Romania. These schemes have been used before, notably during the blackouts on January 31, 2026.
According to the Moldovan state agency Moldpres, citing the National Crisis Management Center, downed drones were discovered near the Isaccea-Vulcănești line, limiting access for technical crews and requiring demining before repair work can begin. Inspections are being conducted in coordination with transmission system operators from Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine.
Ukrainian manufacturer of passive fire protection systems Kovlar Group is expanding its presence in the Moldovan market and expects to make this direction one of the first stable export channels for its products.
According to the company, it has been supplying fire protection products for engineering communications to Moldova for the past two years. Kovlar Group notes that there is virtually no domestic production of passive fire protection materials on the Moldovan market, so local partners are showing interest in Ukrainian systems.
The company specifies that regular technical meetings are held with Moldovan specialists to introduce the products, during which issues of fire protection system design, national regulatory requirements, and features of material application are discussed. According to preliminary agreements, the Moldovan side plans to purchase a significant part of Ammokote products.
The presence of Ammokote products on the Moldovan market is also confirmed by open specialized resources: in particular, the specialized platform Antikor.md features Ammokote products for fire protection of engineering communications with technical documentation and certificates.
Kovlar Group LLC was founded in 2015 in Kyiv and is the largest manufacturer of passive fire protection products in Ukraine. According to OpenDataBot, the company’s authorized capital is UAH 1.2 million, and its ultimate beneficiaries are Kostyantyn Kalafat (40%), Andrii Ozeychuk (35%), and Liubov Vakhitova (25%). The company’s revenue for 2024 amounted to UAH 91.37 million, which is twice as much as a year earlier, and its net profit was UAH 13.4 million, which is 1.7 times higher than in 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, the company’s revenue amounted to UAH 13.5 million, with a net profit of UAH 1.983 million.
On Wednesday, the Moldovan government approved a draft law “On the admission, stay, and supervision of foreigners” developed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to the press service of the Cabinet of Ministers, the document includes new concepts adapted to the legal framework of the European Union. According to the draft law, a residence card will now become a single document confirming the identity and legal status of foreigners.
To strengthen the admission process and ensure effective management of migration flows, foreigners will be required to justify the purpose of their stay in the republic by providing relevant documents (contracts, certificates, invitations, etc.).
In addition, mandatory confirmation of financial solvency during the period of stay in the country will be introduced.
“The criteria and level of means of subsistence will be established by subsequent regulations depending on the purpose of the stay,” the document notes.
A “flexible regime” will apply to short-term stays (up to 90 days). It is expected that the procedures for submitting applications, approvals, notifications, and reporting will be digitized.
The law is intended to stimulate “competitive advantages for sectors of the economy with labor shortages” and “support companies operating in sectors where the local workforce is insufficient by hiring third-country nationals for various purposes.” At the same time, however, there are plans to reduce illegal employment.
At the end of 2025, more than 21,500 foreigners and stateless persons from more than 130 countries were registered in Moldova. Of these, more than 5,600 were eligible for permanent residence, and about 16,000 were eligible for temporary residence.
http://relocation.com.ua/moldova-to-tighten-control-over-migrants-on-its-territory/
The State Border Service has announced that traffic will be restricted from 5:00 a.m. on February 18 at border crossing points located on the border with Moldova due to difficult weather conditions.
“Attention international carriers! Traffic through border crossing points located on the border with Moldova will be restricted,” the State Border Service said in a statement on its Telegram channel on Tuesday.
It is reported that the temporary restriction will be imposed on the M-15 Odessa-Reni (to Bucharest) public highway, km 11+920 – km 308+000, from 5:00 a.m. on February 18, 2026. The restriction applies to trucks and passenger vehicles (buses, minibuses).
The reason for the traffic restrictions is difficult weather conditions, which create an increased danger for all road users, as well as to ensure the timely elimination of the consequences of bad weather and prevent accidents.
In this regard, traffic to and from the checkpoints “Palanka-Mayaki-Udobnoe,” “Starokozachye,” “Serpnevoe,” “Maloyaroslavets,” “Lesnoye,” “Reni,” “Dolinskoe,” “Orlovka,” “Vinogradovka,” “Tabaki,” “Novye Trojany” for the specified category of vehicles will be suspended. This has been communicated to our Moldovan colleagues.
The clearance of vehicles and goods at the Ukraine–Moldova border is temporarily not being carried out due to a failure of the central databases of the customs authorities of the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine’s State Customs Service has reported.
“Please take this information into account when planning to cross the border! The resumption of clearance operations will be announced additionally,” the message posted on the Telegram channel on Saturday said.
As reported, according to First Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Energy of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal, on January 31 at 10:42 a technological incident occurred, involving the simultaneous disconnection of the 400 kV line between the power systems of Romania and Moldova and the 750 kV line between the western and central parts of Ukraine.
Romanian President Nicușor Dan stated that the scenario of unification between Romania and the Republic of Moldova can only be discussed if the majority of Moldovan citizens want it, noting that “we are not there yet.”
According to Romanian media reports, Dan made the statement in response to questions from journalists upon his arrival at an informal meeting of the European Council.
Moldovan President Maia Sandu, in turn, during her first major press conference in 2026, called a possible union with Romania one of the options for guaranteeing peace and belonging “to the free world,” while emphasizing the priority of the course towards EU accession and pointing out the current lack of sustained public support for the idea of unification.
