CHISINAU, April 26 (Reuters) – Moldova’s president called an emergency security meeting Tuesday after two bomb blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in the breakaway region of Transnistria, where authorities said a military unit was also targeted.
Moldovan authorities are sensitive to any sign of growing tensions in Transnistria, an unrecognized Moscow-backed piece of land bordering southwestern Ukraine, especially since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Russia has had permanent troops in Transnistria since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Kyiv fears the region could be used as a launching pad for new attacks on Ukraine. Read more
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“In the early morning of April 26, two explosions erupted in the village of Mayak, Grigoriopol district: the first at 6:40 a.m. and the second at 7:05 a.m.,” the Transnistrian Interior Ministry said.
No residents were injured, but two radio antennas broadcasting Russian radio were killed, the statement said.
Separately, the Transnistrian Security Council reported a “terrorist attack” on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, Russia’s TASS news agency reported. Read more
It did not give more details.
The incidents followed a series of bombings reported by local television on Monday, hitting the Transnistrian Ministry of State Security in the regional capital, Tiraspol. Local authorities said the building was shelled by unknown assailants. Read more
Moldovan President Maya Sandu called on Tuesday for a meeting of the country’s Supreme Security Council in response to the incidents.
“The Supreme Security Council will meet in the presidency from 13:00 (10:00 GMT). After the meeting, at 15:00, President Maya Sandu will hold a press briefing, “the president’s press office said in a statement.
On Monday, the Moldovan government said the Tiraspol bombings were aimed at creating tensions in a region it has no control over.
Last week, a senior Russian military official said the second phase of what Russia calls its “special military operation” involves a plan to take full control of southern Ukraine and improve its access to Transnistria. Read more
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Report by Alexander Thanas, written by Tom Balmfort and Alessandra Prentiss, edited by Timothy Heritage
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