CHISINAU, Moldova - Russian authorities restored Moldova's natural gas supply Thursday, a day after cutting it off in an attempt to force the former Soviet republic to begin payments on a $600 million debt.

Valentin Piankov, deputy chairman of Moldovagaz, said the gas supply is back on, adding that negotiations over the debt were continuing in Moscow. Moldova owes Russia $600 million for natural gas supplies over the past five years.

Moldovans spent the night cooking meat from their refrigerators and shivering from the cold as they turned off gas heaters, fearing they would be asphyxiated as they slept if the gas supply was cut and later restored.