Hundreds of people in the self-proclaimed state of Transnistria protested against the Moldovan government on Friday, accusing it of spurring an energy crisis triggered by Russia cutting off gas supplies,

The leader of Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria has travelled to Moscow since the suspension of Russian gas deliveries via Ukraine, the president of Moldova said on Tuesday.Transdniestria has suffered widespread power cuts since Jan.

The issue lies in the fact that gas shipments to Transnistria through intermediaries breach Moldovan law. Read also: Kremlin’s gas gamble: Transnistria left in crisis "Gazprom, as the majority shareholder of Moldovagaz,

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.

CHISINAU - The leader of Moldova's breakaway region of Transdniestria has travelled to Moscow for talks to resolve an energy crisis following the suspension of Russian gas deliveries, Transdniestria's news agency reported on Tuesday.

The leader of breakaway Transnistria said Monday his government was ready to buy gas from Moldova, more than two weeks after a halt in Russian supplies plunged his region

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.

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 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.

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.

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.