On Monday night, the government of the Republic of Moldova offered the first response after Leonid Manakov, the self-proclaimed leader of pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria, called for an increase in the number of Russian “peacekeepers” in the region earlier in the day. .

The head of the so-called Transnistrian representation in Moscow, Leonid Manakov, has no authority regarding the Agreement of July 21, 1992 on the status of peacekeeping forces in Transnistria, so he is unable to comment on the increase in numbers. in the number of Russian “pacifiers” to the left of the Dniester, said Mariana Sari, spokeswoman for the Bureau of Political Reintegration of the Chisinau government, reports Deschide.md and TV8.md.

“First, the status of the so-called representative office, on behalf of which Mr. Manakov. Kishinev has been waiting for such explanations for more than four years. Secondly, only the signatories of the Agreement of July 21, 1992 can be exposed in relation to the mechanism of reconciliation, and in no case persons who are not related to this mechanism,” Sari emphasized.

In this way, the Political Bureau of Reintegration responded to the request of Leonid Manakov, the head of the so-called representative office of the Transnistrian separatists in Russia, to increase the number of Russian “peacekeeping” troops in the territory of the Transnistrian region.

Kremlin spokesman Dmytro Peskov said at a daily press conference on Monday that he had nothing to say about Manakov’s request at the moment.

The so-called authorities from Tiraspol have repeatedly requested to increase the number of Russian “peacekeeping” forces, including through the recruitment of military personnel from among Russian citizens permanently residing in Transnistria, the Chisinau press reports.

How separatists from Transnistria justified the “necessity” of new peacekeepers

In the last request of the Tiraspol separatists, Manakov complained that “Russia in 1995, by a unilateral decision that was not agreed at the level of the Joint Control Commission, reduced the number of its own contingent to two motorized infantry battalions. although initially there were six of them. That is, the current number is no more than 450 Russian peacekeepers who are constantly operating in the security zone.”

“At the same time, their staff, established by the documents of the commission, is 3,100 people,” Manakov also said, asserting that an increase in the number of Russian “pacifiers” is legally possible, such an option is justified in case of provocation and terrorist threats.

“There is such an option and it is justified from the point of view of increasing security risks, including the terrorist threat, and at the same time it is justified from a legal point of view by the documents adopted within the framework of the activities of the CCU. “, Manakov also said.

Currently, Ukraine keeps a large contingent of its army on the border with the Republic of Moldova to counter possible challenges from pro-Russian separatists.

Russia has hundreds of troops in the region following a bloody war between pro-Russian separatists and Moldovan government forces following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The peacekeeping force in Transnistria is tripartite and includes 402 Russians, 492 Transnistrians and 355 Moldovans, the Tiraspol authorities said.

PHOTO article: Soleg 1974 / Dreamstime.com.