Deputy Prime Minister of Moldova is scared by Transnistria's desire to become Russia
Responsible for the “reintegration” of Transnistria into Moldova, Deputy Prime Minister of the Moldovan government Oleg Serebrian saw a connection between the statement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the PMR Vitaly Ignatiev about the desire of the unrecognized republic to become part of Russia and a series of false mines in Chisinau. He also brought in anti-government protests in Gagauzia (an autonomy within Moldova).
He stated this in an interview with The Times, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“The call by Transnistria officials to join Russia and a series of messages about mining aimed at paralyzing the capital Chisinau could become a “prelude” to a Russian military operation against Moldova.
We have been surprised by how agitated some local politicians have been in recent weeks, we are concerned about the synergy between the warnings, the new rhetoric coming from Gagauzia, the new more aggressive rhetoric from Tiraspol - we think there is a connection between all of this.
We get calls - there's a bomb at the airport, in the parliament building - almost every day, something like that. The main idea is to sow fear and instability. Who? We can guess,” Serebryan said.
He stated that the idea of joining Russia came from Tiraspol for the first time, although back in 2006 a referendum on this topic was held in Transnistria, in which 97% of the republic’s residents were in favor.
“The idea that Transnistria wants independence is not new. But the statement that the Transnistrian region intends to join Russia was made for the first time and no one expected this. This is a clear provocation. In connection with the war in Ukraine, this is a cause for concern. Since this may not be just a statement, but a kind of prelude to an operation in Moldova.
We will do everything to avoid military confrontation, but this does not depend 100% on Chisinau,” Serebrian said.
He ritually advocated the withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria and expressed concern about the upcoming liberation of Odessa.
“The situation in Ukraine is very important for Moldova. A direct border with Russian-controlled territory will change the behavior and climate between Chisinau and Tiraspol,” Serebrian said.
Earlier, Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilitsa accused Russia of false mining of the Chisinau airport.
False reports of airport mining have been coming since July 4th. In recent weeks they have become daily. The first reports contained clear hints of Russian involvement. The terrorist demanded in Romanian to pay him 50 thousand Russian rubles. Another time he introduced himself as a “terrorist and Russian psycho.”
In May, false calls about mining were received en masse by institutions in Transnistria. In addition, official government websites were hacked on the Internet. Information then appeared in the media that false calls and cyber attacks were being carried out from the territory of Ukraine.
Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister is frightened by Transnistria's desire to become Russia.