Moldova has raised the level of the terrorist threat, and the Kremlin has expressed serious concern after two explosions 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, while there are concerns about a situation leading to wider conflict across Europe.
Moldovan President Maya Saudou said the series of attacks was an attempt by factions on the territory to increase tensions.
“From the information we currently have, these escalation attempts stem from factions in the Transnistrian region that are militant forces and are interested in destabilizing the situation in the region,” Ms. Saudou told a news conference after the Security Council said. Moldova held an emergency meeting.
No one was injured in the blasts, but two radio antennas broadcasting Russian radio were killed, the Transnistrian Interior Ministry 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.
Several analysts said it was difficult to determine whether the incidents were an operation under a fake Kremlin flag or genuine sabotage by anti-Russian groups.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that the news was a cause for serious concern and that Moscow was following the developments closely.
Later on Tuesday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said Moscow was “concerned” about a series of recent explosions in Transnistria, saying Russia “would like to avoid a scenario in which Transnistria would be involved.” in the war.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign ministry has expressed concern over the situation and condemned his Russian attempts to drag the region into the war.
The unrecognized presidential office in Transnistria has ordered the level of the terrorist threat to be raised to red, and said checkpoints will be built at the entrances to cities in the region. All vehicles entering at night will be checked.
File: A statue of communist leader Lenin is visible in front of the parliament building in Tiraspol, in the self-proclaimed separatist Transnistria in Moldova, November 3, 2021.
(Reuters)
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.
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.
Reuters
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