The leader of Moldova's separatist Transdniestria region, gripped by power and heating cuts, said on Friday that gas reserves would be exhausted within days and urged the central government to end "artificial delays" and provide new supplies.

The Transdniestria region in Moldova faces a severe energy crisis as its gas reserves dwindle. With Ukraine refusing transit and Moldova awaiting overdue payments, the region's residents suffer from power outages and severe winter hardships.

Moldova's prime minister told AFP on Wednesday the international community is ready to offer gas to end the energy crisis in Transnistria but a lasting solution hinges on Russia withdrawing its troops from the separatist region.

The document, seen exclusively by Euractiv Czechia, argues the measures will help the two countries "resist the malign influence of Russia".

The Kremlin said on Thursday that Russia was ready to provide gas to Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region, but needed logistical support from Moldova to make that happen. Vadim Krasnoselsky, the leader of the separatist enclave,

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.

It is also worth noting that the alignment of Moldova's and Transdniester's fiscal and customs policies has meant that 70 percent of the breakaway region's foreign trade is with countries of the EU -- and that could only increase if Moldova moves closer to the bloc.

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.

Moldova's pro-European central government renewed its criticism of Russia, saying it caused the energy crisis and now wants to portray itself as the power that was coming to the separatist region's rescue. Transdniestria, which split from Moldova at the ...

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.

Since Russia stopped delivering gas to Moldova, Valera Alexandru Sava only heats the ground floor of his two-storey house and often wears a coat and hat inside.

Transdniestria’s pro-Russian leaders said through the region’s official Telegram channel that daily rolling blackouts would be reduced to three hours on Sunday from eight hours earlier this week