The New York Times (NYT) reported on the 23rd (local time) that Moldova is taking seriously the threat of Russian forces to occupy the southern coast of Ukraine.
Transnistria, Moldova, has been consistently mentioned as a military target for the Russian military along with Ukraine’s Donbas region following Russia’s forcible annexation of Crimea in 2014. This is because, like Donbass, pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria are demanding independence. Transnistria might have a similar fate, as Russian President Vladimir Putin approved the independence of the Donbas region just before the invasion of Ukraine.
In particular, on the 22nd, when Brigadier General Rustam Minnekaev, deputy commander of the Central Military District of the Russian Army, mentioned the occupation of southern Ukraine as the second phase of the Russian army’s plan, concerns seem to be realizing. At the time, he said, “The southern takeover might create an exit to Transnistria, where Russian-speaking people are oppressed.” He was referring to the possibility of a military operation once morest Transnistria with the occupation of the South as a stepping stone.
Transnistria is located on the eastern side of the Dnestr River in Moldova, bordering Ukraine. Transnistria, annexed to Moldova by the Soviet Union during World War II, is a region with strong pro-Russian tendencies, with regarding 30% of the current residents speaking Russian.
Russia has been stationing thousands of troops in the region since 1992 through an agreement with Moldova as peacekeepers. In 2006, Transnistria decided to return to Russia through a referendum, but the international community did not accept it.
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