Moldova denies Russian allegations of Ukrainian plan to attack breakaway Transnistria

February 27, 2023



Moldovan officials Thursday denied Russia's claim Ukraine was plotting to attack Transnistria, a breakaway internationally recognized as Moldovan territory.

MP dismissed the Russian allegations as "aggressive disinformation," while Secretary of State Valeriu Mija called Russia's statement a "psychological operation" and not a "real plan".

On its Telegram channel, the Moldovan government urged citizens to be calm and heed "information...from official and credible sources of the Republic of Moldova".

On Thursday, the had released a statement claiming Ukraine was amassing a "significant amount of personnel and military vehicles" on its border with Transnistria ahead of an invasion, which it alleged presented "a direct threat" to the Russian troops stationed in the pro-Russian breakaway state.

"The armed forces of the Russian Federation will adequately respond to the impending provocation of the Ukrainian side," the Ministry continued.

A separatist social media account claimed earlier this week it had evidence for a Ukrainian military buildup, but uploaded a photograph depicting a Ukrainian flag and a few small armored vehicles.

For weeks, Western-leaning Moldova has warned Russia may be plotting a coup d'état in the former. On February 22, Russia backtracked from a 2012 decree recognizing Moldovan sovereignty, further concerning the small nation.

In 1990, Russian-speaking Transnistria declared independence from Moldova, prompting a two-year war between them. Since the war's end, Russia has maintained approximately 1,500 peacekeepers in Transnistria.