The end of Russian natural-gas transit across Ukraine is a blow to Moscow, but it could provide the Kremlin with sharpened tool for economic and political influence over a key target country: Moldova.

Transnistria has faced major problems due to the cessation of Russian gas transit through Ukraine. However, back in December, Moldova offered to buy European gas for the region, at its own expense, wrote the State Secretary for Energy of Moldova,

The blow to Transdniestria was immediate. Households' central heating and hot water were cut off, and nearly all industrial enterprise was shut down.

Authorities in Moldova's separatist Transdniestria region on Sunday cut off gas supplies to several state institutions as a deal allowing Russian gas to transit through Ukraine comes to an end at the close of the year.

Russian Gazprom's decision to halt gas supplies to Moldova resulted in a heating outage in the Russian-controlled region of Transnistria, prompting Chisinau to seek alternative sources of electricity.

Russian natural gas has stopped flowing to Europe via Ukraine after a five-year transit contract expired.

Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region, has stopped supplying heating and hot water to households after gas supplies to Europe from Russia via Ukraine were cut off. Source: Reuters Details: The interruption of gas supplies had an immediate impact on the region's population of about 450,

Russia's Foreign Ministry blamed the U.S. for the decision, saying it will impact "the standard of living of European citizens."

A renegade part of Moldova once boasted it would become a Russian-speaking Switzerland. Now without gas, its leader assured residents, “We will not allow a societal collapse.”

VIENNA - On a frosty morning in Slovakia's capital Bratislava, cameraman Peter Lahky expressed his concerns over a looming energy crisis after Ukraine on Wednesday halted Russian gas transit to Europe, fearing that higher energy prices would further add to his financial burden.

"Russia is revealing the inevitable outcome for all its allies — betrayal and isolation," Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean said on Jan. 3.