More than 51,000 households were left without gas and 1,500 apartment buildings had no winter heat in Moldova's pro-Russian separatist enclave, authorities said on Monday, as Moldova and Russia traded blame for an escalating energy crisis.

"Russian propaganda tries to create a story in which Moldova becomes a ‘problematic actor,’ although the government has proposed clear solutions to avoid the crisis," Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Voda said on Jan.

More than 51,000 households were left without gas and 1,500 buildings had no heating in Moldova’s separatist region Transdniestria, authorities told Reuters. The development comes after Ukraine had refused to transit Russian gas through its pipelines to Europe.