Bust of Lenin in front of the House of Soviets, current building of the city administration of Tiraspol, the capital of Transnistria. Photo EFE
A series of attacks have rocked in the last 24 hours on the territory of the Moldovan Republic of Transnistria, which borders Ukraine, which, due to the context of the war in Ukraine, is increasing tension in this Russian -speaking area to which, in addition, Russian forces were assigned.
“There were three terrorist attacks in Pridnestrovie (Transnistria). They fired grenade launchers at the building of the Ministry of State Security, there were two explosions at the radio-television center of the village of Maiak and also attacked a military unit in Parcani, ”the press service of the president of the separatist region, Vadim Krasnoselski, told his Telegram channel.
Local authorities said peacekeepers were “in control of the situation in the security zone”, referring to the Russian troops that have been in the area since 1992 under the Agreement for the Peaceful Resolution of the conflict.
Russia admitted on Friday for the first time that it wanted to create a land corridor from Donbas to the annexed Crimean peninsula and revealed that its war plan would not stop there, but include going south. to unite it with the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transnistriain Moldova, according to a high military command.
What is Transnistria?
The self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria or Cisdniester is a territory of nearly half a million inhabitantsmost were Slavs, who broke ties with Moldova after an armed conflict (1992-1993) in which they had the help of Russia, who now have about 2,000 troops in the area guaranteeing peace.
It declared itself a republic on October 29, 1990. and located east of the former Soviet republic of Moldova. Its capital is Tiraspol and it has 12% of Moldovan territory and 23% of industrial production, along with control of transportation routes and gas pipelines.
So the interest that Moldova has shown, refusing to lose this regionand also of Moscow, which supports its independence.
Previously destroyed by an attack in Transnistria. Photo by AFP
It has more than half a million inhabitants, Russian and Ukrainian majority, and an area of 4,163 square kilometers on the left bank of the Dniester (Nistru) River.
The Russian side refused to include Romania, according to the preference of your sector of the population of Romanian origin. A conflict that sparked civil war in 1992, Russia supported the military and resulted in the deaths of about 1,500.
The fragile armistice of July 21, 1992 may have given Transnistria a “special status” in exchange for the surrender of independence, but the region continues to defend its aspirationsand Moldova, in turn, does not stop demanding the integration of both areas separated by the Dniester River and accuses Russia as the initiator of the independence of that strip, which it considers to have a special status.
Background
– On December 1, 1991, Transnistria held presidential and independence elections, not recognized by Moldova or of the international community, which made Igor Smirnov president.
– Four years later, on December 24, 1995, in the legislative elections, the bicameral Parliament was formed with 67 representatives and a constitutional referendum was held, with 81% supporting its constitutional independence.
– Transnistria again challenged Moldova in the December 2005 parliamentary elections where a dozen games were contestedthey were all pro-independence, with two great rivals: República and Renovación.
– A referendum on September 17, 2006 -on joining Russia or Moldova- registered an overwhelming “yes” (97%) to Russia’s integration.
– After Russia’s military invasion of neighboring Ukraine, on February 24, the Moldovan Parliament declared a state of emergency in fear that Russia would deploy its troops to Transnistria to support an attack on the city of Odesa of Ukraine, less than 100 kilometers.
More than 20,000 tons of Soviet weapons have been in Transnistria since the end of the Cold War.
-On March 5, the authorities of self-proclaimed independent Transnistria called for recognition of its independence, after Moldova formally applied to join the EU.
Source: EFE
PB
Source: Clarin
