Ukraine blames Russia for recent attacks in Moldova 0:42
(CNN) --
A series of unexplained explosions have ripped through parts of Transnistria, a breakaway territory of Moldova that has harbored Russian troops for decades, raising fears that Moscow's war could soon expand beyond Ukraine and create a new space. of conflict in Eastern Europe.
Two radio towers in the territory were damaged by the explosions early Tuesday, according to a statement from the Transnistrian Interior Ministry.
A series of explosions were heard in the Transnistrian capital Tiraspol in the area around the building of the Ministry of State Security on Monday, according to the Russian news agency RIA-Novosti.
Russia admits for the first time that it is seeking to control all of southern Ukraine as well as Donbas
Ukraine described the blasts as a planned provocation by Russia's security services.
Ukraine also blamed Russia for launching cruise missiles on a bridge across the Dniester River on Tuesday, suggesting Moscow intends to isolate southwestern Ukraine that borders Moldova.
The blasts, and a slow stream of comments from Russian officials about the region, including from a senior Russian commander who claims the military's plan to capture southern Ukraine would open a land corridor to Transnistria, have sparked intense concern in Moldova. by the possibility that the disputed territory within its borders is part of the war strategy of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Transnistria is not recognized by the international community, which considers it part of Moldova.
But Moldova's capital, Chisinau, has no control over the territory that declared itself a republic more than three decades ago.
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This is what you need to know about the territory.
Transnistria is an unrecognized breakaway region within Moldova.
Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Graphic: Natalie Croker, CNN
a disputed territory
The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 gave rise to a handful of "frozen conflict" zones in eastern Europe, often unstable regions where loyalties have been fiercely contested since the creation of the 15 post-Soviet states. .
Among these regions are the secessionist states of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, within the territory of Georgia, and the territory along Moldova's border with Ukraine known as Transnistria.
The territory, an enclave of 3,366 square kilometers on the eastern bank of the Dniester River, was a Russian military post during the last years of the Cold War.
It declared itself a Soviet republic in 1990, opposing any attempts by Moldova to become an independent state or to merge with Romania.
When Moldova became independent the following year, Russia quickly inserted itself as one of the so-called "peacekeepers" in Transnistria, sending troops to back pro-Moscow separatists.
As a result, a war with the Moldovan forces ensued.
The conflict ended in a stalemate in 1992. Transnistria was not recognized internationally, not even by Russia, but Moldovan forces turned it into a de facto breakaway state.
This impasse left the territory and its approximately 500,000 inhabitants trapped in limbo.
A Russian officer (left), a Moldovan soldier (center), and a Transnistrian soldier (right) stand guard in the security zone separating Moldova and Transnistria along the Dniester River, in 2002.
Since then, Transnistria has been home to thousands of Russian soldiers, currently estimated at 1,500, and has earned a reputation as a land lost in time, a Soviet space-time hole within a young Moldovan democracy in transition.
It has a flag, a constitution and a national bank, and it celebrates its own independence day.
The main streets of its capital, Tiraspol, include Lenin Street, Karl Marx Street and October 25 Street, which commemorates the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. An imposing statue of Vladimir Lenin stands in the center of the main square of the city. town.
Transnistria has long relied on its industrial production, and its economy is heavily dependent on Russian subsidies.
A conglomerate called Sheriff is almost ubiquitous, owning many of its factories, supermarkets and gas stations, and giving its name to the region's football club, FC Sheriff, which competes in the Moldovan national league and famously won last year. in the Champions League against Real Madrid.
Moldovans, Russians and Ukrainians live in the region.
The territory holds its own presidential and regional elections, although international watchdogs say opposition is repressed and there is no real competition at the polls.
The US NGO Freedom House, which follows the trends of world governments, describes the territory as "not free".
A statue of Vladimir Lenin in front of the Tiraspol Presidential Palace.
"Impartiality and plurality of opinion in the media are very limited, and the authorities closely monitor civil society activity," it states in its most recent global report.
Despite occasional negotiations with Moldova, the prospects for a resolution of the Transnistria issue remain dim.
"The breakaway region remains a challenge to a unified and developed Moldova," the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) wrote in 2020.
"There is a risk that those who have no business, family or personal ties across the river will feel increasingly alienated from their fellow Moldovans, fostering the kind of mistrust and misunderstanding that may further hamper resolution of this conflict." the agency said.
What are Russia's plans for Transnistria?
Concerns about Russia's long-term plans for Transnistria have never gone away, only intensifying after Moscow's 2014 invasion of Crimea.
That invasion fueled concerns that Putin would seek to invade and control southern Ukraine.
A Russian-backed separatist enclave in Ukraine's southwestern tip could now present a potential buffer to any westward Russian assault on eastern Donbas.
Russia's alleged "peacekeeping" presence in Transnistria, which has in practice seen the Kremlin prop up a puppet state seeking to undermine Moldova's sovereignty, also reproduces Moscow's pretext for invasions in Georgia and Ukraine.
Alarms in Moldova and the West were heightened when the Kremlin said the rights of ethnic Russians were being violated in Transnistria, another argument used by Putin to justify his February invasion of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, two breakaway states backed by Russia. Russia.
"Allegedly there, in Moldova, the rights of Russian-speakers are violated," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a speech last Friday.
"Although, to be honest, the territory in which Russia should be dealing with the rights of Russian speakers is Russia itself: where there is no freedom of expression, no freedom of choice. Where there is simply no right to dissent. Where poverty thrives and where human life is worth nothing".
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Western nations immediately began monitoring activity in regions outside the country, including Transnistria.
The soldiers celebrate the anniversary of the independence of their unrecognized country.
Some Ukrainian officials also suggested that Russia would at some point draw on its contingent of troops stationed in Transnistria, especially after Moscow suffered a significant number of troop and equipment losses in the first weeks of its assault on the country.
"Of course, at some point, sooner or later, they will use them," Odessa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said in televised remarks this month.
"It's hard to say in which direction, but there is a threat. (Ukrainian Armed Forces) know about it and are working on it."
But the most direct and unequivocal statement on the region to date came from Russia's Central Military District Major General Rustam Minnekaev on Friday.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted the general as saying the country's goal was to create a land corridor between Ukraine's eastern Donbas region and Crimea, adding that control of southern Ukraine would give Russian forces access to Transnistria, a strategy that many in Chisinau had long feared was Putin's target.
Moldova and Ukraine on alert
Two days after Minnekaev's comments, a series of explosions were heard in the region.
A correspondent for the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti said loud explosions were heard in Tiraspol and windows of neighboring houses were damaged.
Immediately, Ukrainian officials suggested that the explosions were part of the Kremlin's efforts to create a narrative that could precede Russian military action.
Ukraine fears Russia will open new war front after attacks in Moldova
Ukraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement that three days before the incident, the leaders of the breakaway region "were already preparing and taking care of setting up a safe and comfortable bunker" at the Ministry of State Security, which was damaged. in the explosions.
Children walk past the Russian Troops Task Force headquarters in the city of Tiraspol last year.
"Clearly, this case is part of a series of provocative measures organized by the FSB (Russian security service) to instill panic and anti-Ukrainian sentiment," he said.
Later on Tuesday morning, two radio towers were damaged.
The place where the explosions took place is known as the "Transnistrian radio and television center," which was built in the 1960s and is one of 14 radio broadcasting centers from Soviet times, according to the Interior Ministry. from Transnistria.
Ukraine also blamed Russia for firing cruise missiles at a bridge across the Dniester River estuary on Tuesday.
The road and rail bridge links Odessa with the southwestern tip of Ukraine, bordering Moldova;
the damage leaves the region virtually isolated.
Maksym Marchenko, head of the military administration of the Odessa region, said Russia had used three missiles, one of which had hit the bridge.
"With his actions, the enemy tries to isolate part of the Odessa region and create tension in the midst of events" in Transnistria, Marchenko said.
Another attack on the bridge caused more damage on Wednesday.
As the UN seeks to resume dialogue with Russia, new attacks shake eastern Ukraine
Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday condemned the attacks in Transnistria, calling them "provocations" intended to drag the country into "actions that may endanger peace."
"Our analysis shows that there are tensions between forces within that region interested in destabilizing the situation. This makes Transnistria vulnerable and creates risks for the Republic of Moldova," he told a news conference after an emergency meeting of the Security Council. from the country.
Sandu listed a series of events that preceded this week's blasts, including several bombings at schools and medical facilities.
He blamed "pro-war factions" trying to "raise tensions" in the region.
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