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,

Every time planned electrical outages are imposed on his village in southern Moldova, 73-year-old retiree Vasili Donici passes the time solving crosswords and puzzles in a room he illuminates with a small gas lamp.

Russian-owned gas giant Gazprom announced in December it would halt gas supplies to Moldova over a dispute over an alleged $709 million debt for past supplies.

Russian gas has stopped passing through Ukraine after a five-year deal expired, leaving Moldova at risk of a crisis.

Zelenskyy made the statement after a phone call with Moldovan President Maia Sandu earlier the same day. “Of course, the main goal is to help Moldova through this difficult period of energy challenges and prevent Moscow from inciting social unrest,

Kyiv and Chisinau are working together to find solutions to the ongoing energy crisis in Moldova, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Moldovan President Maia Sandu announced on Jan. 8. The Russian state energy company Gazprom cut off gas supplies to Moldova on Jan.