The pro-Russian breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, left without Russian gas supplies no longer transiting through neighbouring Ukraine, faced longer periods of rolling power cuts on Saturday,

The head of Moldova’s breakaway region Transnistria has urged residents to burn firewood for heating and warned that blackouts cannot be avoided, after Moscow stopped supplying gas via Ukraine.

Russia’s state-owned energy giant Gazprom says it will halt gas supplies to Moldova starting on Jan. 1, citing alleged unpaid debt by the east European country.

"Russia is revealing the inevitable outcome for all its allies — betrayal and isolation," Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Jan. 3.

Gazprom will cease supplying natural gas to the Moldovan company Moldovagaz, which "will leave pro-Russian Transnistria in the cold," reports "Gazeta Wyborcza" on Tuesday. The energy crisis will pose a challenge for Chisinau during the year of parliamentary elections.

Russia’s Gazprom PJSC will halt natural gas supplies to Moldova starting on Jan. 1 due to an alleged debt impasse amid a state of emergency in the Eastern European nation’s energy sector.

Gazprom said Moldovagaz “regularly fails to fulfill its payment obligations under the existing contract, which is a significant breach of its terms.”View on euronews

Moldova's Transnistria region has been thrust into an energy crisis following the termination of a gas transit agreement between Russia and Ukraine.

By bne IntelliNews The Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria has entered its third day of a severe energy crisis following the cut-off of Russian gas supplies, prompting widespread disruptions to industrial companies and public services.

Russia's cessation of gas supplies to Europe through Ukraine has sparked a significant energy crisis in the separatist region of Transnistria. The region has halted heating and hot water services for residents,