The crisis has already led to the closure of almost all industrial activity, the suspension of heat and hot water supplies and power cuts of up to eight hours a day. 

Under the state of emergency, the authorities can ban the export of energy, restrict economic activity and introduce measures to conserve gas supplies. 

Transnistria, a predominantly Russian-speaking separatist region along the Ukrainian border that broke away from Moldova in 1991, had received Russian gas via Ukraine for decades, using it to generate most of the region’s electricity. 

However, gas supplies were cut off on January 1, along with flows to central and eastern Europe, after Kyiv refused to renew a transit deal that had persisted through nearly three years of all-out war between Russia and Ukraine. 

Since the cut-off, more than 51,000 households in Transnistria have been without gas, and nearly 1,500 apartment buildings lack heating and hot water. 

Desperate to keep warm, the locals are trying to heat their homes by themselves, but this has led to a spike in fires. Since the beginning of the new year firefighters have been called to 30 outbreaks, 20 of which were caused by improper use of stoves and electric heaters, Moldovan news website NewsMaker reported citing authorities. 

Two people have died as a result of fires and another person was killed by monoxide poisoning. 

On Friday, the so-called supreme soviet of Transnistria approved a decree issued by Vadim Krasnoselsky, the region’s self-styled president, extending the state of emergency, which was first declared on December 9, until February 8. 

Earlier, Krasnoselsky had warned that a “humanitarian catastrophe” was “gaining momentum” in Transnistria. 

There have been fears that the crisis could spill over into the rest of Moldova. 

The Moldovan government has accused Russia of orchestrating the crisis in an attempt to destabilize the region, while Moscow has claimed the blame lies with Ukraine and the West.