Moldova

The reports of explosions in Transnistria could stoke fears about the scope of Russia's war in neighboring Ukraine.

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. In Transnistria, the Internal Affairs Ministry said explosions in the village of Mayak on Tuesday morning damaged two antennae that broadcast Russian radio. The ministry said there were no injuries. The region, which broke away after the collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a conflict in the early 1990s, is not recognized as independent by any country but operates separately from Moldova. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts. A Moldovan government body warned Monday of possible attempts to “create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region,” and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry called the blasts a “planned provocation by the Russian special services.”

Trans-Dniester doesn't usually get much attention. But European leaders are watching it closely because it hosts about 1500 Russian troops and shares a ...

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Transnistria is a literal powder keg, as it's home to a massive stockpile of aging Soviet-era explosives and ammunition. REZINA, Moldova — The Russian-uniformed ...

"And from what I've heard, there's no appetite for those armed forces to get involved in the Ukraine conflict." The Russian soldiers remain there primarily to guard the ammunition depot, left behind as the Soviet army withdrew from Europe at the end of World War II, and to protect a polluting steel foundry that belches smoke over the area. Like many Ukrainians, Khorenjenko worries that Russia will annex Transnistria the way it did the Crimea or the Donbas regions. The building hit by explosions was empty because it was a public holiday, although Transnistrian media reported that some windows in surrounding homes were broken by the blast. That's what really worries a lot of people," said Olena Khorenjenko, 33, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Moldova and is familiar with Transnistria. "These are our neighbors — not some faraway people." Moldovan officials said the Monday explosions were caused by grenade launchers.

After holding a meeting of Moldova's security council, President Maia Sandu warned that recent explosions in the country's breakaway Transnistria region, ...

An official in breakaway Transnistria blamed Kyiv for the security HQ attack on Monday, called it a “terrorist act” and accused Ukraine of “provoking a spreading of the conflict to Transnistria’s territory”, the BBC reported. She convened the meeting after two blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in breakaway Transnistria, Reuters reported. The aim of the attack was “to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region, which is not controlled by the constitutional authorities”, the government office said.

It's unclear who was responsible for the attacks. In response, Moldovan President Maia Sandu convened a security council meeting. Read More.

Today the official goals of the Russian presence in Trans-Dniester are to prevent a return to conflict and protect 22,000 tons of Soviet-era military equipment in the tiny village of Cobasna. “If they changed their position, the EU could suspend the application of the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the region, since hypothetically such a corridor with the Russian Federation would ensure effective occupation of the territory.” They want to decrease the insecurity coming from it,” Cenusa said. The announcement came after alleged attacks on two communication towers and on a state building in the self-declared capital, Tiraspol, as well as an incident involving a military unit in the village of Parkany. It’s unclear who was responsible for the attacks. That said, Russia will continue to drive pressure on Moldova,” Vlas said. However, last week, Moldova’s Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu said his government was looking into buying electricity from Ukraine when the contract with the Russian-owned company MoldGres expires next month. “I tend to see this as part of the disinformation campaign and information war against Moldova in this case.” Russian disinformation seeps into the country’s Russian-language media, while the country’s socialist party, which has deep ties to Moscow, held the presidency for four years until 2020, when pro-EU candidate Sandu was elected. Speaking to journalists in Washington last week, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu acknowledged the country’s exposure to the war in Ukraine. “We’re the most fragile neighbor of Ukraine, we’re the country that is most affected by it, and we’re the country that has the fewest resources to deal with the situation and the fallout of the war,” he said. The Trans-Dniestrian military is thought to have around 4,000 active troops. It’s unclear how long the relative quiet in the breakaway region will last. But the remarks have highlighted Moldova’s precarious position.

Tensions are rising in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, adjacent to Ukraine, where authorities say explosions have hit radio masts and the ...

The separatists have blamed Ukraine, which deny any connection with the incidents. About 420,000 people live in the region and some people hold more than one passport. They said there had been another attack on a military unit. The mainly Russian-speaking region broke away from then-Soviet Moldova in 1990. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday urged citizens to remain calm while she stepped up security measures after a series of explosions in the breakaway ...

“This is an attempt to escalate tensions. Sandu said after a meeting of the Supreme Security Council: “We urge citizens to keep calm and feel safe.” Sandu convened the country’s Supreme Security Council after blasts on Monday and Tuesday in the separatist region bordering Ukraine raised fears of a spillover from the conflict there.

Ukraine accuses Russia of orchestrating attacks in the Moldovan separatist region of Transnistria, which Latvia's foreign minister says reminds him of ...

Mr Haq said the UN continues to fully support efforts by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to reach a political settlement of the Transnistria conflict. In a statement on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Ukraine "resolutely supports Moldova's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and condemns attempts to draw the Transnistria region of Moldova into the full-fledged war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine and call for de-escalating tensions". The Latvian Foreign Minister said he was "very worried" by the explosions on Tuesday, adding it reminded him of what happened in the Donbas region at the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in late February.

Warning comes as Moldovan president blames 'pro-war forces' for explosions in separatist-controlled region.

A string of unexplained explosions in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria has raised fears that President Vladimir Putin could have plans for his war ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia wants to capture other countries. The mainly Russian-speaking enclave is home to fewer than 500,000 people; the rest of Moldova has some 2.6 million. It’s a sliver of land that runs roughly between the Dniester river in eastern Moldova and Ukraine. It covers about 4,160 square kilometers (1,600 square miles), or about 12% of the territory of Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.

Moldova has repeatedly called on Russia to observe a pledge made at an OSCE summit in 1999 to evacuate both the ammunition depot and the troops that guard it.

"There was a hope that the case will be reviewed and sent for a new investigation. The 40 Russian diplomats expelled three weeks ago "did not spend a day in diplomatic service during their stay in Germany," she said in a statement. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. During the meeting, Guterres criticized Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a flagrant violation of its neighbor’s territorial integrity. Separately, Transdniester's Security Council reported a "terrorist attack" on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, without elaborating. “Chisinau continues to insist on a peaceful settlement of the Transdniester conflict.” It added it has the right to pursue damages over breach of contract. It is demanding financial compensation for the damages and wants access to its channel restored. The Bulgarian Energy Ministry said that Bulgarian state-owned supplier Bulgargaz had received a similar notification. The details are to be clarified before the proposal comes up in the National Assembly next week. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction.

A series of unexplained explosions have occurred in parts of Transnistria, a breakaway territory within Moldova that has housed Russian troops for decades, ...

"By his actions, the enemy is trying to cut off part of the Odesa region and create tension amid the events" in Transnistria, Marchenko said. "Our analysis shows that there are tensions between forces inside that region interested in destabilizing the situation. Maksym Marchenko, head of the Odesa region military administration, said Russia had used three missiles, one of which had struck the bridge. (Armed Forces of Ukraine) know this and are working on this." That deadlock has left the territory and its estimated 500,000 inhabitants trapped in limbo. The major roads of its capital Tiraspol include Lenin Street, Strada Karl Marx and 25th October Street -- commemorating the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Transnistria has long been powered by its industrial output, and its economy is heavily dependent on Russian subsidies. Where poverty thrives and where human life is worthless." Two radio towers were subsequently damaged on Tuesday morning. Ukraine described the blasts as a planned provocation by Russian security services. Russian state news agency TASS quoted the general as saying the country's aim was to create a land corridor between Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and Crimea, adding that control over Ukraine's south would give Russian forces access to Transnistria -- a strategy that many in Chisinau had long feared was Putin's goal. Russian state news agency TASS quoted the general as saying the country's aim was to create a land corridor between Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and Crimea, adding that control over Ukraine's south would give Russian forces access to Transnistria -- a strategy that many in Chisinau had long feared was Putin's goal.

Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestria said on Wednesday that shots were fired from Ukraine towards a village that houses an ammunition ...

Kyiv blamed Moscow for masterminding the attacks that included explosions that damaged two radio masts. The Moscow-backed region said it had been targeted by a series of attacks and accused Ukraine of involvement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Military tensions and political concern are heating up in Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova that borders Ukraine. An Eastern European expert ...

The fighting in Ukraine prompted Ukraine to reevaluate and tighten its border policy. Russia has long sought to keep Moldova, formerly part of the Soviet Union, in its political sphere of influence. Moldova’s energy sector is one of its greatest vulnerabilities. If activated, combat-ready Russian troops in Transnistria could quickly destabilize the region. It is an unrecognized breakaway state that left Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. The presence of Russian troops in Transnistria prevents Moldova from fully controlling its own borders. These soldiers have homes and families in Transnistria. The Ukraine war and the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria has made Moldovans and some international experts worried that Russia could attack Moldova next. Moldova signed a free-trade deal with the European Union in 2014, also allowing trade to be conducted from Transnistria. Transnistria’s trade with western Europe has since continued to grow, as its trade with Russia declines. Moldova is located between the European Union, bordering Romania and southwestern Ukraine. Russian troops stationed in Transnistria give Moscow a way to intimidate Moldova and limit its Western aspirations. Transnistria – officially called the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic – is a narrow strip of land between Moldova and western Ukraine that is home to about 500,000 people. Ukraine has alleged that the explosions were set off by Russia as a pretext for Russian troops advancing to Transnistria, and using it as a military platform for further operations in Ukraine, more than two months after it first launched a war there.