The blowing up of two radio masts in the Moldovan conflict region of Transnistria on the border with Ukraine threatens to aggravate the situation in the region.
(Photo: dpa)
Chisinau After reports of attacks in the separatist region of Transnistria in Moldova, Russia is indirectly threatening military action in the region. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Tuesday warned of a scenario in which Russia would have to intervene, the Russian news agency RIA reported without giving further details.
The narrow strip of land of Transnistria borders Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has expressed fears that Russia may plan to attack the west of the country from Transnistria. Moldova’s President Maia Sandu condemned the attacks as an attempt to disrupt peace in the region and said her country was ready for a peaceful solution to the conflict.
Local authorities had reported several incidents in Transnistria, controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Explosions are said to have shaken the headquarters of the State Security and damaged two Soviet-era transmission masts. Russian radio was broadcast over the antennas from a village in the region. A military unit was also attacked.
Shortly thereafter, the spokesman for the Russian Presidential Office, Dmitry Peskov, said Russia was monitoring events very closely. Moldova’s President Sandu convened the country’s Supreme Security Council because of the events.
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
Moldova took in numerous Ukrainians
Russian soldiers have been stationed in Transnistria since the end of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Only Russia has recognized the narrow strip of land as independent, which is not supported internationally. Its border is about 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, the capture of which is one of Russia’s declared war goals. To the west, the small country of Moldova borders on EU and NATO member Romania. Moldova has taken in numerous refugees from Ukraine.
The events in Transnistria resemble the escalation before Russia invaded Ukraine. The Russian government initially referred to incidents in the self-proclaimed, pro-Russian People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine without any evidence. According to the Russian account, these were provoked by Ukrainian forces, which the government in Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
President Vladimir Putin justified the actual invasion with the unsubstantiated assertion that genocide must be prevented in both regions. He describes the invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, as a special military operation designed to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine and protect Russia. Ukraine and the West, on the other hand, speak of an unprovoked war of aggression.
More: Russia extends its war target to Moldova