The head of Moldova’s breakaway region Transnistria has urged residents to burn firewood for heating and warned that blackouts cannot be avoided, after Moscow stopped supplying gas via Ukraine.

By Iulian Ernst in Bucharest With no natural gas and insufficient electricity produced from its limited coal reserves, the pro-Russian separatist Transnistria region in Moldova has chosen to live under a self-imposed energy blockade after Ukraine discontinued the transfer of Russian gas to Europe (including Moldova) on January 1,

"Russian propaganda tries to create a story in which Moldova becomes a ‘problematic actor,’ although the government has proposed clear solutions to avoid the crisis," Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda said on Jan.