The Issue Of Transnistria In The Ukrainian Conflict- 26 February 2022 (00:09 GMT+2)
Transnistria is a de facto independent, unrecognised breakaway region of Moldova, situated on the border of Moldova with Ukraine. The region has its own currency, government and military and uses the Cyrilic alphabet. A permanent peacekeeping force composed of local, Moldovan and Russian soldiers is constantly present to ensure compliance with the 1992 ceasefire and controls the demilitarised zone along the Ukrainian border.
The current political situation dates back to the collapse of the Soviet Union, but what is important to know in regards to the current situation in Ukraine is that the region enjoys great support from Russia, has a large ethnic Russian population and following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, it officially requested to join the Russian Federation. This is still pending.
As of the time of writing, reports mention 1500-2000 Russian soldiers, as well as approximately 10,000 loyal to Russia, situated on Ukraine’s south-western border. The distance between the besieged city of Odessa in Ukraine and the Transinistrian capital Tiraspol is just 100km, meaning that this force could potentially join Russian forces there, in violation of Moldova’s neutrality. The Ukrainian ambassador in Moldova has accused the Russian military of adopting this policy, with local Russian-allied individuals stirring unrest in Odessa. While there is very little coverage from mainstream media, the Moldovan reaction to the invasion, amid speculation of explosions and attacks, shows that the possibility of Transinistrian involvement is not ludicrous and the situation is being monitored closely.