A new wave of propaganda launched by Moscow, which focuses on the alleged preparation of Transnistria and Ukraine for an “invasion”, is supported, including by some radical voices, who do not avoid criticizing the Russian military leadership and even the Kremlin for the attack “too”. “soft” war and failure at the front, News.ro notes. One of those voices is Igor Girkin, a Russian military blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers. In the video post, he explains what “benefits” Ukraine would have if it entered Transnistria: it would take tens of thousands of Russian citizens hostage, with whom it would then exchange prisoners with Moscow.

Igor Girkin (also known as Igor Strelkov) is a veteran of the Russian army, a former officer of the Federal Security Service (FSB). He was the commander of pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and was sentenced in absentia by a Dutch court to life in prison for his role in the downing of flight MH17 in 2014, a tragedy that resulted in nearly 300 deaths.

Igor Girkin has now become an influential nationalist blogger, often with radical and critical views on the Kremlin, but which are nevertheless tolerated by Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian regime, which otherwise thoroughly suppresses free speech, especially when it comes to the war in Ukraine. .

As the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington notes, Moscow has recently launched a large-scale propaganda operation designed to convey certain “narratives” according to which Ukraine and the West are preparing to launch “false flag” operations in order to later blame Russia. One of these narratives is strongly linked to Transnistria and the “invasion” that Ukraine, which shares a border with this separatist region that is part of the Republic of Moldova, will prepare for it. Kyiv denied that it would prepare such an operation, President Zelensky emphasized that Transnistria is part of the territory of Moldova, and Ukraine respects the integrity and sovereignty of the neighboring country.

• Read also: Moscow threatens to respond to any “provocation” in Transnistria: “This will be considered an attack on Russia” / Reaction of the authorities of Chisinau and Kyiv

“Transnistria is a Russian region where the Russian language is mostly spoken and there is a Russian mentality, regardless of whether they are called Moldovans or Ukrainians”

In this context, imitating a critical approach to the Kremlin, Ihor Girkin actually fuels and argues for the propaganda deployed by the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Moscow.

In a video post, Ihor Girkin shows why Ukraine would be interested in joining Transnistria:

• “It would be a terrible tragedy to lose Transnistria. It would have a huge impact. It will not be just a slap, but a real spit. It will be a slap in the face, because the enemy would capture the region where the referendum on joining the Russian Federation was held three times. And the Kremlin ignored them three times.”

A nationalist blogger declares that Transnistria is de facto Russian territory:

• “The enemy will take not only the region where the Russian language is spoken and there is a Russian mentality, regardless of whether they are called Moldovans, Ukrainians or Great Russians. This is a Russian region, no matter how we define it.”

Ukraine’s interest, he explains, would be to go in and capture the Russian soldiers that Moscow had been holding there since the early 1990s, after the collapse of the USSR (despite the fact that in 1999 Russia undertook an international trying to get them out, a promise he didn’t keep, no).

• “And our contingent that is there, which is thousands of people, is guaranteed to be captured. Guaranteed. In addition, there are many ex-servicemen who are citizens of Russia. If the SBU manages to take control, they can capture tens of thousands of people. This would give them a reserve for exchanging prisoners. They will be able to exchange local politicians for any Azovians and saboteurs and other bastards who undermine us, set us on fire,” says Igor Girkin. “It will be a colossal military and political blow if Russia does not save Transnistria,” the nationalist military blogger concludes.

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