"The settlement of the Transnistrian issue can be achieved by political means and only on the basis of a peaceful solution, excluding military and other forcible actions, as well as on the basis of the principles of democratization and demilitarization of the region, [and] respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova," the country's office for reintegration told RIA Novosti on Wednesday.
The statement came in response to remarks made by Alexey Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The official suggested the country was capable of "capturing" Transnistria should Chisinau formally request Kiev's help in conquering the breakaway region.
"Yes, [we] would have managed somehow, but this is the territory of sovereign Moldova, [it could happen] only after the appeal of the Moldovan side," he said.
Comment: As if Ukraine's pathocrats are so principled.
Arestovich's remarks garnered condemnation in Moscow as well, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov describing such statements as "quite provocative."
The international attention towards Transnistria comes as the breakaway nation endured a string of mysterious incidents over the past few days. On Monday, Transnistria's Ministry of State Security was attacked by three unknown assailants, who fired shoulder-mounted rocket launchers at the building, blowing out its windows and damaging its façade.
The attack was followed back-to-back by explosions at a local broadcasting center on Tuesday morning. While no one was hurt, the facility had its biggest antennas - which transmitted Russian radio stations - destroyed.
Comment: That's a bit of a giveaway, Russia wouldn't want to block broadcasts of its own media, but the West and Ukraine certainly would.
The president of the self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, blamed the incidents he described as "terror attacks" on Ukrainian nationals and urged Kiev to investigate the armed groups that had allegedly infiltrated his region.
Transnistria, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR), is a self-proclaimed state located along a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and the Ukrainian border in the eastern part of Moldova.
The region broke away from Moldova in the early 1990s shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It maintains close ties with Moscow, with Russian peacekeepers stationed there and a sizable portion of local residents holding Russian citizenship.
Reader Comments
I am quite confident the Russian planners have foreseen such a move.
Russian intelligence yesterday released information about plans by Poland and the United States to seize western Ukraine. Warsaw is going to push through there and wait for the division of the country, which it says will become "highly likely". On the same day, the Polish Ministry of Defense announced "exercises" during which an intensive transfer of military equipment will take place in the east of the country. At the same time, they asked citizens not to photograph soldiers in order to avoid "negative consequences for the security and defense system." What is behind the published plans of Poland and the United States regarding Ukraine, evaluated the military observer of the TASS agency, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin.
- Viktor Nikolaevich, April 28, Russian Intelligence Director Sergei Naryshkin announced the announcement of plans by the United States and Poland to establish strict military-political control of Poland over western Ukraine. what's behind it?
- Behind these plans are Polish ambitions, an attempt to return Poland "from sea to sea". If Ukraine continues to disintegrate, it is possible that Poland will invade and control western Ukraine. Although the process of Ukraine's collapse is, in my opinion, already underway. However, who will allow Poland to invade western Ukraine is a big question. If this happens, then there is no guarantee that we will not attack Polish military formations in western Ukraine. Why would we leave them there?
- Was pushing Ukraine into the conflict with Russia, pumping weapons into it, part of Poland's strategy to seize western Ukraine?
- Pumping weapons and accumulating hostilities in Ukraine are all plans of the United States, and Poland is simply playing its part in this scenario. His actions are an attempt to become the "best student in the class" and to show that Poland is the largest "American" on the European continent.
- What are the consequences for Poland in trying to send troops to Ukraine?
─ It will be a very strong blow to Polish vanity, Polish arrogance, as well as the very great disappointment of the Polish people from its leadership. I think that Poland's attempt to gain NATO support in deploying its troops in Ukraine will be unsuccessful. NATO understands that they will not be able to use the 5th paragraph of the 1949 Washington Treaty on the Establishment of the North Atlantic Alliance to defend Poland on Ukrainian territory.
They will not defend Poland because they are not interested in the Third World War and the clash with nuclear-missile Russia. For many NATO countries, this may end in their complete destruction. And they are not suicides.
- Can Poland prevent Russia from carrying out Ukraine's demilitarization and denazification tasks?
─ No, he can't. In this case, Poland is just a pug barking at an elephant. It can even help us solve some problems if, for example, he takes Zelenský with his whole clamp.
- According to calculations by the Polish administration, consolidation in western Ukraine will most likely lead to the division of the country, according to Russian intelligence. Why is Poland betting on the division of Ukraine?
- He understands that there will be a split in Ukraine. Our President also spoke about this: if Ukraine does not comply with the Minsk agreements, it will be divided into several states. We are seeing this prediction right now, because Crimea has already fallen to Russia, the People's Republic of Donetsk and the Luhansk Republic have become independent.
It is possible that the south of Ukraine will become Little Russia. The regions of Kherson, Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk will also be designated.
- What is the difference between the Russian strategy and the strategy of Poland and the USA towards Ukraine?
- There is no separate strategy for Poland. A military special operation is taking place on the territory of Ukraine, where the Russian army is at war with NATO. Poland is a vassal of the United States. He can make statements that are not agreed with Washington, he can make them in a tone that disagrees with Washington, but he will never do what Washington has forbidden.
We need to realize a simple thing: all NATO member states sign an agreement that says they share their sovereignty with the Alliance's headquarters, that is, they lose sovereignty and are forced to do the will of the Alliance's headquarters. And the Alliance's headquarters are subordinate to Washington.