In . – 04/28/2022 13:36 (act 04/28/2022 17:18)
Moscow says Transnistria must be drawn into conflict ©Photo by Sergei GAPON / AFP
After explosions in Transnistria, Moscow speaks of an attempt to draw Moldova into the conflict and threatens to intervene. Ukraine talks about provocations from Russia.
Russia sees the recent incidents in Transnistria as an attempt to draw the breakaway region of Moldova into the conflict in Ukraine. Moscow Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said:
Moscow threatens to intervene in Transnistria
On Tuesday, after reports of attacks in Transnistria, Russia threatened to intervene in the region where Russian troops have been stationed since the end of the Soviet Union. Ukraine described the incidents as a provocation by Russia.
Authorities in Transnistria, which is not internationally recognized, accuse Ukraine of launching attacks against the self-proclaimed republic in eastern Moldova.
Ukraine sees Transnistria as a “bridgehead” for Russia’s military projects
According to the Kiev government, it fears that Russia wants to use Transnistria as a bridge for further military advances. Following reports of explosions in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Moldova, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said in Kiev late on Wednesday, according to the UN agency: “We have always seen Transnistria as a bridge from which certain risks can emanate for us.” .
The Ukrainian leadership is aware of the dangers emanating from Transnistria, which is why in the Ukrainian regions of Odessa and Vinnytsia “everything is well thought out from a defense point of view”. Podoljak estimated the number of Russian-led troops in Transnistria at 1,500 to 2,000. “Of them, 500 to 600 are Russian and the rest are local.”
The presidential aide described the recent explosions as an attempt at provocation. “Everything is as the Russian Federation always does,” Podoliak said.