After Russia warned Russia to respond to any Ukrainian military “provocation” in the pro-Russian separatist Transnistrian region in Moldova, observers warned that this region could turn into a new hotbed of tension.
On Thursday, Russia accused Ukraine of preparing for an “invasion of Transnistria”, in which a Russian military unit is deployed, vowing to “respond” in the event of that happening.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that “a large gathering of Ukrainian personnel and military equipment near the border,” “the deployment of cannons at firing positions,” and an “unprecedented increase in the flight of Ukrainian drones over the territory” of the separatist republic.
Today, Friday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that “the armed forces of the Russian Federation will respond appropriately to any provocation by the Kiev regime,” stressing that Ukraine is deploying men and equipment near the neighboring Moldavian separatist region.
For its part, Moldova denied, on Friday, any “direct threat” from Ukraine to its pro-Russian separatist region.
The Moldovan government said, on its channel on the Telegram application, that “the state authorities do not confirm the information published by the Russian Ministry of Defense this morning.”
She added: “We call for calm and to obtain information from official and reliable sources in the Republic of Moldova.”
Transnistria, a small region that declared its secession from Moldova in the 1990s after a short war, lies on Ukraine’s western border and has been the focus of growing tensions in recent weeks.
Russia says that “the implementation of the planned provocation by the Ukrainian authorities constitutes a direct threat to the Russian unity” deployed in Transnistria.
The new Prime Minister of Moldova, Doreen Resyan, had recently called for the withdrawal of Russian forces from Transnistria, which angered the Kremlin.
Last Monday, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “our counterparts in Moldova should be very careful” in their statements.
Observers point out that it is not unlikely that the conflict front will move from the Ukrainian lands to Moldova, especially after the hints issued by the country’s President, Maya Sandu, this month.
And according to what was reported by the British newspaper “The Guardian”, Sandu said that “the Kremlin’s attempts to bring violence to Moldova will not succeed.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that it was “clear that Ukraine will not be Russia’s last stop after the invasion of Ukraine,” highlighting that the Kremlin is considering ways to “suffocate” Moldova.
