The situation in Transnistria

Recent blasts in break-away Moldovan region raise fears of spill-over from war in Ukraine.

Leyla Cheamil, 28.04.2022, 13:50

After
the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine, the situation has also
become tense in Transnistria, a Russian-speaking break-away region in
the east of the Republic of Moldova. A former Soviet republic,
Moldova has a majority Romanian-speaking population. In the
Russia-controlled region of
Transnistria,
a series of incidents have taken place in the last few days, their
author unknown, which raise fears of
a spill-over of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.

Two
explosions took place in Maiac, where two communications towers of
the radio and tv centre were blown up, no victims being reported. The
interior ministry of the break-away region says two radio
masts that broadcast radio
stations from the Russian Federation were damaged. The blasts
occurred one day after the headquarters
of the security
service in Transnistria’s capital Tiraspol were
attacked with grenade launchers. The Moldovan authorities in Chișinău
confirmed reports of gun fire on the border with Ukraine, some two km
from an arms and munitions depot in Cobasna. Under the circumstances,
the Intelligence and Security Service in the Republic of Moldova said
it is
keeping a close eye on the development of the security situation in
Transnistria and urged for calm.

The
leader of separatist Transnistria Vadim Krasnoselsky said
the traces of these
attacks lead to Ukraine, which, for
its part,
is
accusing
Moscow of trying to destabilise Transnistria. Stopping short of
blaming Moscow for the explosions, as Kyiv has done, the spokesman
for the US State Department Ned Price said Washington remains
concerned about attempts to escalate tensions. The French foreign
minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian said France supports the stability, sovereignty and
territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova in the face of
destabilisation
risks to which it may be exposed.
Our support for the Republic of Moldova, which is particularly
exposed to the consequences of the war in Ukraine, will continue in a
determined way, writes
a statement from the French foreign ministry.

In
Bucharest, the defence ministry said the Romanian army does not
currently have military in the Republic of Moldova, whether for
exercises or any other joint training missions. It made this
clarification after a Russian-language publication falsely wrote that
Romania is planning to attack Transnistria with NATO support, before
going on to annex the Republic of Moldova, and that it deployed
military to Moldova. (CM)