“There is no heating or hot water,” an employee of local energy company Tirasteploenergo said by phone from Tiraspol, Moldova’s main city. She said she did not know how long the situation would last.

Transnistria is a pro-Russian entity that split from the rest of Moldova after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. It was receiving Russian gas via Ukraine, but that supply route was halted on Wednesday with the expiry of a transit deal between the two warring countries.

A statement on the energy company’s website said the heating cuts took effect at 7am local time on Wednesday, but some facilities such as hospitals were exempt.

It urged residents to dress warmly, gather family members together in a single room, hang blankets or thick curtains over windows and balcony doors, and use electric heaters.

“It is forbidden to use gas or electric stoves to heat the apartment. This can lead to tragedy,” the company said.