Hundreds of thousands of people have been left without heating and hot water after Russia halted gas supplies to the region on Jan. 1, over an alleged $709 million debt for past supplies.

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.

Russian breakaway region of Transnistria has deepened, with residents now facing disruptions in water supplies, according to Prime Minister Dorin Recean.

Moldova has accused Russia of triggering an energy crisis after tens of thousands of homes in its eastern breakaway region of Transnistria were left without heating, gas or electricity following the end of a Ukraine gas transit agreement last week.

The energy crisis in Transnistria, triggered by Russia's Jan. 1 cutoff of gas supplies, is part of a broader Russian plan to manipulate and spread propaganda, Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda said on Jan.