The pro-Russian separatist authorities of Transnistria said on Wednesday that there were no signs of preparations for hostilities in the region, although they had begun recruiting men fit for military service.

The co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission of Transnistria Oleg Belyakov assured that the situation is under control.

“We clearly analyze the information from the mass media, received during communication with the heads of administrations, the population living in these territories, with law enforcement agencies, information about the situation in military units and units. There is no preparation for hostilities on the part of Moldova or the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic (there is no name under which the separatists claim their statehood),” Belyakov said in a TV interview quoted by Interfax.

“There is no such complication of the situation in the security zone,” he added.

Belyakov is the representative of the Transnistrian separatists in this tripartite commission, which also includes the Republic of Moldova and Russia, to ensure the maintenance of peace in the region.

Pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria began military exercises

Belyakov’s comments came after Transnistria’s pro-Russian separatist leader, Vadym Krasnoselsky, called on residents to remain calm and not panic on Tuesday.

But also on Tuesday, the so-called Ministry of Defense from Tiraspol announced the start of recruitment among “peacekeepers” from Transnistria. Thus, starting March 1, for three months, men under the age of 55 who are fit for military service will participate in the military training of the “peacekeepers” contingent.

The Chisinau press writes that men from the separatist region are lured by the so-called Transnistrian Ministry of Defense with money, clothes, accommodation and food. They will be paid monthly 2,800 Transnistrian rubles, which is approximately 3,000 Moldovan lei.

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 the 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, desdechi.md reminds.

On Monday, Ukraine said it was ready for a “desperate step” by Russia in the separatist region in the east of the Republic of Moldova, and also assured that it would stop any attempts to land Russian ground troops there.

“Airborne landing in Transnistria is a priori impossible, because it is necessary to directly cross the airspace of either NATO countries or Ukraine. Well, who will allow them!”, Nataliya Humenyuk, the head of the press center of the Operational Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine “South”, said on Monday.

She specified that Ukrainian forces are concentrated along the border of Transnistria, ready and sufficient “for a threat that is hypothetically possible if [rușii] I’m taking a desperate step.”

Tensions between the Republic of Moldova and Russia

Humeniuk’s comments came as tensions between the Republic of Moldova and Russia have steadily risen over the past two weeks, after President Maia Sandu on February 13 condemned Moscow’s plan to destabilize Chisinau.

Sandu made a statement to the press in which he spoke about Russia’s plans to remove power from Chisinau a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about Moscow’s plan to destroy the Republic of Moldova.

Russian President Vladimir Putin later rescinded a decree on the Republic of Moldova’s sovereignty over the Transnistrian issue, a decision that came a day after his spokesman, Dmytro Peskov, said relations with Chisinau were very strained and withdrew Russian troops from the region.

“Leadership [de la Chișinău] focus on everything anti-Russian, plunge into anti-Russian hysteria,” Peskov accused.

Russia accused Ukraine of wanting to attack Transnistria

Last Thursday, the day before the anniversary of the war, Russia’s Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of plans to invade Transnistria in eastern Moldova following a false flag operation.

“According to the available information, the Kyiv regime is preparing an armed provocation against the PMR in the near future, which will be carried out by units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including with the involvement of the nationalist formation “Azov”, – the message reads. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Russia.

He also claimed that Ukrainians want to blame Moscow for the conflict, and “Ukrainian saboteurs involved in the staged invasion will be disguised in the military uniform of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”

A day later, the Russian Foreign Ministry threatened that Moscow would respond to “any” aggression in Transnistria.

“Let there be no doubt: the armed forces of the Russian Federation will give an adequate response to any provocations by the Kyiv regime,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Any actions that pose a “threat” to the Russian military stationed in Transnistria. “will be considered as an attack on the Russian Federation,” Moscow insisted.

Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as Romania, condemned these accusations of Moscow as unfounded.

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