Ukraine said on Monday that it is ready for a possible “desperate step” by Russia regarding Transnistria, assuring that it will never allow Russian military aircraft to land troops in the region, Ukrinform reports.

“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.

“Those forces that are now concentrated there on the territory of Transnistria, most likely, are watching with deep surprise those statements that are being spread by Russian propaganda about their power,” she also said during a televised intervention on Monday evening.

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.” Kh

Last year, the General Staff in Kyiv said that Ukrainian air defense would shoot down any Russian military aircraft that tried to move in the direction of Transnistria.

Tensions between Moldova and Russia

Humeniuk’s comments came as tensions between the Republic of Moldova and Russia have risen steadily 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 talked about Russia’s plans to remove power from Chisinau, a few days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi talked 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Russian President Vladimir Putin later rescinded a decree on the Republic of Moldova’s sovereignty over the Transnistrian issue, a decision that came a day after his spokesman, Dmytro Peskov, said relations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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