TIRASPOL, September 15 (RIA Novosti) - Moldova's breakaway Transdnestr region has lost more than $300 million after Ukraine imposed new customs regulations in March, the economics minister of the self-proclaimed republic said Friday.
Ukraine toughened customs regulations for Transdnestr exports on March 3 this year, requiring that they pass preliminary clearance in Moldova - a move interpreted in Tiraspol as an economic blockade.
"The losses totaled $301 million as of September 5," Yelena Chernenko told a news conference.
Russia has provided generous financial aid for the impoverished, predominantly Russian-speaking region, which broke away from Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"If not for Russia's aid, pensions and wages would have been delayed by at least two months," Chernenko said.
