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,

The buzzing sound of chainsaws and generators is now common in Varnița, a village of 5,000 that borders Moldova's Russian-controlled region of Transnistria. Located next to the Russian-controlled city of Bender (Tighina),

Russia will begin supplying gas as humanitarian aid to Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria, but not to the rest of Moldova, Transnistrian leader Vadim Krasnoselsky announced on Wednesday, according to Russian state media.

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,

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.

Moldova's president, Maia Sandu, has declared gas deliveries from Russia to Transnistria illegal, stating that they violate international sanctions. Sandu emphasizes that using intermediaries for these deliveries contravenes Moldovan law.

The Russian authorities and the leadership of Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria are reportedly exploring a plan to supply gas to the region through purchases on the European spot market, facilitated by an intermediary company,

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.

A humanitarian catastrophe is looming for the 367,000 inhabitants of Transnistria, a region of Moldova living under pro-Russian separatist control. Counting on rising discontent in both Transnistria and Moldova ahead of the parliamentary elections,

Residents of Transnistria face severe energy shortages after Russia halted gas supplies, leading to factory closures and blackouts.

The Kremlin on Thursday said it was willing provide gas to Transnistria, after Russia's cut-off of supplies this month plunged the separatist region of Moldova into an energy crisis.

Moldovagaz is ready to purchase gas for Transnistria at market prices "subject to payment of supplies in Moldovan lei." This was stated by the head of the company Vadim Cheban after the statement of the President of the PMR Vadim Krasnoselsky that Tiraspoltransgaz cannot purchase energy resources on the foreign market due to the "closure of accounts.