The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation informs
at the Russian Ministry of Defense declaration“The Kiev regime is preparing an armed provocation against the Pridnestrovian Republic of Moldavia in the near future.” According to the ministry, the nationalist formation “Azov” (the organization is banned in Russia) will participate in the operation.
“As a pretext for the invasion, a so-called attack of Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria is planned. To do this, Ukrainian saboteurs participating in the phased occupation will wear the uniform of military personnel of the RF Armed Forces, ”says the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Defense.
The ministry said it is monitoring the situation and is ready to respond to “any change in the situation”.
At the same time, Moldovan authorities denied the information given by the Ministry of Defense. On the Telegram channel, the Moldovan government urged citizens to remain calm.
“State authorities have not confirmed the information released this morning by the Russian Ministry of Defense. We urge you to remain calm and seek information from official and reliable sources of the Republic of Moldova.”
It is stated that the ministries of the republic are in contact with foreign partners. If there is a threat, the authorities will immediately alert the public.
Transnistria does not want to escalate tensions
The unrecognized Transnistrian Foreign Minister Vitaly Ignatiev assured that the region does not pose a threat to neighboring Moldova and Ukraine. on this he aforementioned In an interview with Izvestia.
“We see certain dynamics from the Ukrainian and Moldovan sides, but we are doing everything to prevent the escalation of tensions,” the diplomat said.
Russia is also trying to help solve the problem through diplomacy. In particular, it is taking steps to preserve the 5+2 format (observers from Moldova, Transnistria, OSCE, Russia, Ukraine and the EU and USA).
This was expressed by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin in an interview with TASS. According to him, a difficult situation arose in the settlement of disputes in the region. “At the moment the main issue is to prevent further deterioration of the dialogue between Chisinau and Tiraspol,” he said.
The last round of 5+2 negotiations took place in 2019. However, the participants did not accept and sign the final document. In addition, the negotiation process was suspended when Maia Sandu came to power. At the same time, he immediately made several harsh statements against Tiraspol, which was ready for dialogue with Moldova at all levels.
Moldovan Prime Minister wants to withdraw peacekeepers from Transnistria
On February 10, former Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa resigned. Almost the entire cabinet broke up with him.
A week later, Maia Sandu’s presidential candidate, Dorin Recean, declared that he aimed to “disarm Transnistria” and withdraw Russian peacekeepers from the territory of the republic. He chaired the Moldovan Council of Ministers the same day after the vote.
Recean stressed that Chisinau “intends to resolve the Transnistria problem peacefully”.
“In the context of regional developments, it is very important that our demands for the withdrawal of the Russian army continue. <…>so the Transnistria region will be demilitarized,” Rechan said in a parliamentary session.
But the head of the foreign policy department of the unrecognized republic, Vitaly Ignatiev, called this intention counterproductive. At the same time, he recalled that the Moldovan side had been discussing the need to reconfigure the peacekeeping operation and the withdrawal of Russian troops for 30 years.
“The situation is very worrying, the context is also very complex. Therefore, we believe that the only way to consider ending the peacekeeping operation is to find a final, just and comprehensive solution to the Moldovan-Pridnestrovian conflict,” he said.
Ukraine reported
In early February, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed to provide his Moldovan counterpart, Sandu, with a “Russian document” that allegedly outlines his plan to destabilize the political situation in the republic.
Zelenskiy also told Sandu that military intelligence had seized the document.
On the same day, Chisinau confirmed that it had received information from Kiev allegedly preparing actions to destabilize the situation in the republic. The operational activities of the Moldovan special services also revealed “actions aimed at undermining the Republic of Moldova, destabilizing and disrupting public order”.
Opponents said Sandu blamed Russia for fueling tensions in the country to increase the pressure on opposition protesters in the country.
In response to the Moldovan Ministry’s statement, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stressed that Chisinau’s words about “Russia’s plan to destabilize the situation in Moldova” are justified and unfounded.
He argues that Moldovan authorities have acted similarly to their counterparts in the United States, Ukraine and other Western countries: “first accuse him of citing allegedly classified intelligence that cannot be verified, and then use that to justify his own illegal activities. movements.”
Maria Zakharova, who lied about Russia’s intention to attack Moldova, claims that the main aim of Kiev is to put Chisinau in a tough confrontation with the Russian Federation.
Russian peacekeeper
Russian peacekeepers were brought to the Transnistria conflict zone after the signing of an agreement on the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Transnistria with Moldova on 21 July 1992. Thanks to this, it was possible to stop hostilities between the Moldovan police and the Transnistrian militia. Now peacekeepers remain in the area, with the blue helmets of Moldova and Transnistria.
Also, Russian military guard depots, in which more than 20,000 tons of ammunition were stored after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from European countries. This is done by about a thousand soldiers and officers from the Operational Group of Russian Forces (OGRV). In 2001, the destruction of ammunition began. But in 2004, it was suspended due to the escalation of the conflict.
Moldovan authorities have repeatedly demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from the territory of Transnistria. The Moldovan parliament described the union as one of the main threats to national security.
In June 2018, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on Russia to withdraw its troops from Transnistria. In response, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the decision as a “propaganda move” and stated that it would not comply with Moscow’s demands.
Former Moldovan President Igor Dodon opposed the withdrawal of Russian troops. Now the Moldovan authorities unanimously demand the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.