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.

The head of the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria announced Wednesday that Russia will restore gas supplies following his visit to Moscow for talks aimed at resolving a weeks-long energy crisis.

By Iulian Ernst in Bucharest The president of the unrecognised separatist Transnistria region in Moldova, Vadim Krasnoselsky, held talks in Moscow on January 14 on overcoming the energy crisis, the head of state's press secretary Denis Podgorny reported.

One option is Russia to start shipments through the Balkan corridor (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania), without Moldova paying off the arrears, an analyst explained.

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 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,

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.

Moscow, Russia — The breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria will run out of gas used for limited cooking and heating in less than a month, authorities warned Wednesday, as a shutdown in Russian supplies plunges the separatist state into crisis.

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.