Russia has long used its plentiful energy resources as a tool to exert control over the region, where independence from Russian energy is tied to political sovereignty.

Russia will resume gas supplies to Transnistria in the form of humanitarian aid, the head of the Moscow-controlled breakaway region said on Jan. 15, but those to the rest of Moldova will remain cut off.

Alexander Slusar, a former member of the Moldovan parliament, a "representative of civil society" at Energocom, is confident that the Russian concern Gazprom will soon resume supplies to Transnistria.

For Transnistria, the situation worsens because they are accustomed to free resources. Gazprom has demanded that Moldova pay for the gas supplied to Transnistria, leading to significant debts,” said Krutikhin.

The crisis prompted a question: will the breakaway region, occupied by Russia since 1992, survive without Russian gas? Free-of-charge Russian gas had been the backbone of Transnistria's economy and ensured the preservation of the breakaway region and its de facto independence from Moldova.

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.

The Moscow-controlled breakaway region of Moldova will receive gas as a "humanitarian gesture" from the Kremlin, while the rest of the country will remain cut off after Russia halted supplies on 1 January,

In the capital of Transnistria, a Kremlin-backed microstate sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine, the festive New Year’s lights have gone dark ahead of schedule. This separatist sliver of Moldova will run out of energy in three weeks,

Authorities in Moldova's Russian-controlled region of Transnistria announced on Jan. 11 that energy-saving measures have allowed them to ease restrictions caused by a halt of Russian gas supplies.

Moldovagaz JSC recognizes a historical debt to Gazprom of $ 709 million. This was stated on TV8 by the acting board of the company Vadim Cheban. According to him, this is confirmed by internal audit and other relevant documents signed by both parties.

The leader of breakaway Moldovan region Transnistria visited Moscow recently for talks on resolving its energy crisis, local media reported Tuesday.

Since 1 January 2025, the Republic of Moldova, including the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistria, has struggled to respond to the end of gas deliveries by Russian gas utility Gazprom, plunging the country into a new energy crisis. Hamas says it has approved Israeli list of 34 hostages for possible deal