Russia said on Friday it would “retaliate” to any Ukrainian military “provocation” in the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniestria, Moldova, where Moscow has a military contingent. “Let no one doubt: the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will respond adequately to any provocation by the Kiev regime,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement, saying Ukraine was deploying men and equipment near neighboring Transdniestria.
Any action posing a “threat” to Russian military personnel stationed in Transdniestria “will be considered an attack on the Russian Federation”, he insisted. A small strip of land that seceded from Moldova in the early 1990s after a war, Transdniestria sits on Ukraine’s western border and has been under heightened tension in recent weeks.
On Thursday, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused kyiv of making “preparations” for an “invasion” of Transdniestria. Echoing these accusations, Russian diplomacy claimed on Friday that Kiev was massaging “men and military equipment” near Transdniestria, also reporting a “deployment of artillery firing positions and an increase unprecedented number of Ukrainian drone flights over the territory.
“We warn the United States, NATO member countries and their Ukrainian proteges against any adventurous initiative,” the Russian Foreign Ministry added in Cold War-tinged statements. For its part, the Moldovan government on Friday denied the existence of a “direct threat” from Ukraine to its pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniestria.
“The Ministry of Defense monitors all events, actions and changes taking place in the region […]. We affirm that there is currently no direct threat to the military security of the state,” according to a statement. “False information being disseminated is intended to create panic. »
This rise in tensions comes as the new Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean recently called for the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transdniestria, angering the Kremlin. The pro-European Moldovan authorities had previously accused Moscow of wanting to foment a coup in Moldova, allegations denied on the Russian side.
Since the start of its offensive in Ukraine a year ago to the day, Russia has repeatedly been accused of raising the threat of new clashes in Transdniestria to destabilize kyiv and Chisinau.