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.

Protests erupted across Transnistria on Friday, with residents of the Moscow-backed separatist region demanding Moldovan authorities provide gas supplies amid an ongoing energy crisis. Russia’s Gazprom halted gas supplies to Transnistria on Jan.

Moldova and its separatist Transdniestria region inched towards a deal on Monday to allow gas to flow to residents of the rebel enclave, who have been suffering from power and heating cuts since the start of the year.

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. On Monday, Transnistria said it was ready to buy gas from Moldova,

The procurement aims to improve the reliability of Moldova’s grid, facilitate energy trade with neighboring Romania and Ukraine, and support the integration of locally produced renewable energy.

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

Tens of thousands of people in Transdniestria have been without gas or winter heating since Jan. 1 when Russia's Gazprom suspended gas exports to the region, citing an unpaid Moldovan debt of $709 million that Chisinau does not recognise as valid.

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.

An energy crisis that has left hundreds of thousands of people without heating and hot water in the breakaway region of Transnistria could soon end, officials in Moldova said Monday The Moldovan officials reported that the Moscow-friendly leaders of Transnistria had indicated they would accept shipments of gas from the European market to replace lost Russian supplies.

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.

In the wake of the latest developments in Moldova and TRM's withdrawal from the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest 2025, ESCToday reached out to the EBU