Russian troops on the territory of the Republic of Moldova in the separatist region of Transnistria are the least combat-capable of the Russian army, according to analyst Dara Masikot from the RAND Corporation, one of the largest think tanks specializing in military and security issues in the world.

According to Massicot’s comments at an event at Georgetown University in Washington, quoted by Insider, Russian forces in Transnistria are probably “without exaggeration the least capable of the Russian military.”

Masikot also emphasized that the Russian troops on the territory of the Republic of Moldova are “isolated”, that “their equipment is small” and that “they have very little combat power”.

Both Russia and Moscow’s propaganda, as well as pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria, have repeatedly tried to stir up spirits in the region after the start of the invasion of Ukraine last year. Similar attempts have also been made against Gagauzia, an autonomous region in the southwest of the Republic of Moldova with a strongly pro-Russian population.

On April 17, the Moldovan police did not allow a Russian delegation to Gagauzia to enter the country, and warned politicians from Moscow not to interfere in its internal affairs before the regional elections that were to be held in the autonomy.

As for the Transnistrian separatists, at the end of February they announced the start of recruitment for the so-called Russian “pacification” troops in Transnistria. For three months, men under the age of 55 who were fit for military service could take part in the military training of the Moscow “dolls” contingent.

Leonid Manakov, the self-proclaimed leader of pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria, also called on March 8 to increase the number of Russian “peacekeepers” in the region, a move immediately condemned by the government in Chisinau.

The Moldovan army is also not in the best condition

The peacekeeping mission in the security zone consists of Russian and Moldovan military and Transnistrian paramilitary formations. It was created after the signing on July 21, 1992 by then President of Russia Boris Yeltsin and his colleague Mircea Snegur of the Agreement on the Principles of Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in Transnistria.

But despite the shaky position of Russian troops in the separatist region in the east of the Republic of Moldova, Chisinau’s armed forces are also not in great condition.

Insider journalists recall that they are based on 6,000 active-duty soldiers and 12,000 reservists, and most of the units are equipped with Soviet-era weapons. The Republic of Moldova has neither fighter jets nor significant armored forces.

However, in 2020, the new pro-Western government in Chisinau decided to begin the transition to Western equipment to create a “modular, flexible and functional” army. In this regard, at the end of last year, the government of President Maia Sandu announced a significant increase in military spending in 2023, which will increase by almost 70%.

And the European Union announced several measures to help the Republic of Moldova modernize its armed forces, increasing the aid provided in previous years.

PHOTO article: Soleg1974 / Dreamstime.com.