Moldova

Moldova has raised its terror threat warning to highest level after several explosions in recent days.

He accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday the Kremlin is ‘effectively’ at war with Nato for supplying weapons to Ukraine. Mr Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries "will be a legitimate target", adding that Russian forces had already hit weapons warehouses in western Ukraine.

Moldova has repeatedly called on Russia to observe a pledge made at an OSCE summit in 1999 to evacuate both the ammunition depot and the troops that guard it.

"There was a hope that the case will be reviewed and sent for a new investigation. The 40 Russian diplomats expelled three weeks ago "did not spend a day in diplomatic service during their stay in Germany," she said in a statement. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. During the meeting, Guterres criticized Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a flagrant violation of its neighbor’s territorial integrity. Separately, Transdniester's Security Council reported a "terrorist attack" on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, without elaborating. “Chisinau continues to insist on a peaceful settlement of the Transdniester conflict.” It added it has the right to pursue damages over breach of contract. It is demanding financial compensation for the damages and wants access to its channel restored. The Bulgarian Energy Ministry said that Bulgarian state-owned supplier Bulgargaz had received a similar notification. The details are to be clarified before the proposal comes up in the National Assembly next week. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction.

Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestria said on Wednesday that shots were fired from Ukraine towards a village that houses an ammunition ...

Kyiv blamed Moscow for masterminding the attacks that included explosions that damaged two radio masts. The Moscow-backed region said it had been targeted by a series of attacks and accused Ukraine of involvement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Several explosions have rocked Moldova's Transnistria region, a place where little happens without the input of Moscow, which has long had a military ...

“Then, to create a pretext for enhancing control over the unrecognised authorities in Tiraspol and, eventually, for military mobilisation of the Russian troops stationed there. Igor Dodon is now using this escalation to promote the fake idea that driven by western forces, Sandu might engage Moldova in war.” The recent explosions could be a signal that they need to get onside, she suggests. Transnistria’s government and economy are heavily dependent on subsidies from Russia, which maintains a military presence and peacekeeping mission in the territory. Fighting intensified in March 1992 and continued throughout the spring and early summer until a ceasefire was declared in July 1992. On April 25, officials reported several explosions at the state security ministry in the region’s capital Tiraspol following what was described as a grenade-launcher attack.

Ukraine has accused Russia of trying to create unrest in a Moscow-backed separatist region of ex-Soviet Moldova where recent blasts have raised fears of a ...

"This is an attempt to escalate tensions. Moldova's requests to Moscow to remove the troops were never honored. The 1500 Russian troops occupying it since 1992 must either leave or be made to leave. Sandu convened the country's Supreme Security Council after the blasts on Monday and Tuesday and said after a meeting of the Moldovan Supreme Security Council: "We urge citizens to keep calm and feel safe." And officials in Transnistria claim that what they call a "terrorist attack" on the radio tower "can be traced to Ukraine." The 1500 Russian troops occupying it since 1992 must either leave or be made to leave.

A string of unexplained explosions in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria has raised fears that President Vladimir Putin could have plans for his war ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned that Russia wants to capture other countries. The mainly Russian-speaking enclave is home to fewer than 500,000 people; the rest of Moldova has some 2.6 million. It’s a sliver of land that runs roughly between the Dniester river in eastern Moldova and Ukraine. It covers about 4,160 square kilometers (1,600 square miles), or about 12% of the territory of Moldova, Europe’s poorest country.

Ukrainian and Moldovan authorities have warned that the explosions are part of Russia's alleged plan to destabilize Moldova's pro-EU, pro-Western government led ...

But sources outside of Russia contradict the Kremlin's attempts at reassuring Moldova and the Western world. Fighting only halted in July of that same year, when a cease-fire was agreed between the two parties. The first blasts were reported on Monday when several explosions hit the Ministry of State Security in Tiraspol, the largest city and the capital of the breakaway region. Again, nobody claimed responsibility for the attack and its source wasn't identified. More explosions followed the day after the Tiraspol incident. According to local officials, the attack was committed using rocket-propelled grenades.

The U.S. has warned amid the war in Ukraine that Russia could launch “false-flag” attacks in nearby nations as a pretext for sending in troops.

“We will take all necessary measures to prevent escalation, to strengthen the security of the state and to protect our citizens,” Sandu added. “Chisinau continues to insist on a peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.” The aim is to create a special status for Trans-Dniester while strengthening Moldova’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Moldovan President Maia Sandu convened the country's Supreme Security Council on Tuesday to discuss the incidents. "Good news: Ukraine will definitely ensure strategic security of the region. Ukrainian officials have expressed concern about Moscow using those forces to invade Ukraine, while the threat of renewed fighting over Trans-Dniester worries Moldovan authorities.

A string of unexplained explosions in Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria has raised fears that President Vladimir Putin could have plans for his war ...

Authorities in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova, have banned the use of symbols used by the Russian army, seeing them as provocation. That could be a challenge, as United States officials have said that Russia faces a major depletion of its military hardware. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement

A series of unexplained explosions have occurred in parts of Transnistria, a breakaway territory within Moldova that has housed Russian troops for decades, ...

"By his actions, the enemy is trying to cut off part of the Odesa region and create tension amid the events" in Transnistria, Marchenko said. "Our analysis shows that there are tensions between forces inside that region interested in destabilizing the situation. Maksym Marchenko, head of the Odesa region military administration, said Russia had used three missiles, one of which had struck the bridge. (Armed Forces of Ukraine) know this and are working on this." That deadlock has left the territory and its estimated 500,000 inhabitants trapped in limbo. The major roads of its capital Tiraspol include Lenin Street, Strada Karl Marx and 25th October Street -- commemorating the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Transnistria has long been powered by its industrial output, and its economy is heavily dependent on Russian subsidies. Where poverty thrives and where human life is worthless." Two radio towers were subsequently damaged on Tuesday morning. Ukraine described the blasts as a planned provocation by Russian security services. Russian state news agency TASS quoted the general as saying the country's aim was to create a land corridor between Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and Crimea, adding that control over Ukraine's south would give Russian forces access to Transnistria -- a strategy that many in Chisinau had long feared was Putin's goal. Russian state news agency TASS quoted the general as saying the country's aim was to create a land corridor between Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and Crimea, adding that control over Ukraine's south would give Russian forces access to Transnistria -- a strategy that many in Chisinau had long feared was Putin's goal.

Military tensions and political concern are heating up in Transnistria, a breakaway state of Moldova that borders Ukraine. An Eastern European expert ...

The fighting in Ukraine prompted Ukraine to reevaluate and tighten its border policy. Russia has long sought to keep Moldova, formerly part of the Soviet Union, in its political sphere of influence. Moldova’s energy sector is one of its greatest vulnerabilities. If activated, combat-ready Russian troops in Transnistria could quickly destabilize the region. It is an unrecognized breakaway state that left Moldova after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990. The presence of Russian troops in Transnistria prevents Moldova from fully controlling its own borders. These soldiers have homes and families in Transnistria. The Ukraine war and the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria has made Moldovans and some international experts worried that Russia could attack Moldova next. Moldova signed a free-trade deal with the European Union in 2014, also allowing trade to be conducted from Transnistria. Transnistria’s trade with western Europe has since continued to grow, as its trade with Russia declines. Moldova is located between the European Union, bordering Romania and southwestern Ukraine. Russian troops stationed in Transnistria give Moscow a way to intimidate Moldova and limit its Western aspirations. Transnistria – officially called the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic – is a narrow strip of land between Moldova and western Ukraine that is home to about 500,000 people. Ukraine has alleged that the explosions were set off by Russia as a pretext for Russian troops advancing to Transnistria, and using it as a military platform for further operations in Ukraine, more than two months after it first launched a war there.