Russia Considering Intervention in European Region

Lawmakers take part in a congress of deputies of Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria in Tiraspol—the region’s capitol—on February 28, 2024. The congress requested protected from Russia, and Moscow later responded by saying it would “carefully” consider the request.

Russia pledged on Wednesday that it will “carefully” consider Transnistria’s request for protection.

The comments came after officials in Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway region in Moldova, held a meeting in which they called on Russia for help with security.

Transnistria’s Congress of Deputies did not request to be annexed to Russia, as some reports had suggested might happen, but it did ask for Moscow’s help for what it characterized as a security threat to Moldova from Russia’s war in neighboring Ukraine. Transnistria’s officials also accused Moldova’s government of harming the breakaway region’s economy and violating the freedoms of its population.

In its appeal, members of the region’s congress asked Moscow to “implement measures for defending Transnistria amid increasing pressure from Moldova, given the fact that more than 220,000 Russian citizens reside in Transnistria.”

A representative from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Kremlin-operated news agency RIA Novosti that protecting Russian “compatriots” in Transnistria is important to Moscow.

“Protecting the interests of the residents of Transnistria, our compatriots, is one of the priorities. All requests are always carefully considered by the Russian relevant departments,” the Foreign Ministry representative said, according to RIA Novosti.

Transnistria—officially named the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic—sits between Moldova’s border with Ukraine and the Dniester River. The territory became an unrecognized state following a brief war in the early 1990s that was led by a pro-Soviet faction supported by Russian forces. Russia still maintains a military presence in the region, with approximately 1,500 troops stationed there.

A 2006 referendum in Transnistria found more than 95 percent of voters supported the region being annexed to Russia, according to the Associated Press. However, the U.S. State Department dismissed the authenticity of the referendum.

The two-year war in Ukraine, launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, has only heightened tensions between Moldova and Transnistria. In February 2023, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Putin of plotting a coup to overthrow her country’s government.

At the time, Western analysts warned that Putin could attempt to overthrow Sandu’s government through the use of his forces in Transnistria.

Despite Transnistria’s appeal for protection, the Moldovan government on Wednesday said it does not believe the move will cause political unrest in the region.

“This event was planned by those on the left side of the Dniester River and the Kremlin. We see no danger of destabilization,” Moldovan government spokesperson Daniel Vodă said, according to European Pravda. “We are watching very closely and reiterating that this region also wants peace and security.”

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