Russia Denounces Moldova’s Plans to Occupy Transnistria
Localization of Transnistria. X/ @josepbastardas
December 23, 2024 Hour: 9:24 am
This separatist region broke away from Moldova following a bloody armed conflict in 1992.
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Moldovan President Maia Sandu of preparing a plan to militarily regain control over Transnistria.
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Sandu recently held a meeting with senior government officials on energy security, which concluded with her remarks about the “need to draft a plan for an operation to take control of Transnistria and put an end to the Russian peacekeeping presence in the region.”
The Moldovan president called for the development of a plan to forcibly seize Transnistria’s thermal power plant, which operates on Russian gas and is nearly entirely relied upon by Moldova, a country situated between Ukraine and Romania.
Moldovan authorities, however, denied the existence of any plans to militarily control the separatist region of Transnistria.
“Claims that Moldovan authorities are preparing military actions in the Transnistria region are serious and dangerous misinformation aimed at sowing panic and distrust,” said Adrian Balutel, head of the presidential cabinet.
According to the Moldovan presidential representative, the country “remains firmly committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict.” He also emphasized that the “complete and unconditional” withdrawal of Russian forces from the region is key to resolving the dispute.
Transnistria broke away from Moldova following a bloody armed conflict in 1992, during which it received military assistance from Russia. Moldova demands the withdrawal of Russian troops from the region, as well as the removal of the Soviet-era arsenal, which was once estimated to contain around 40,000 tons of weapons and ammunition.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE
