Russia claimed on Thursday that Ukraine was intensifying preparations to invade Transnistria, the Moscow‑backed separatist region of Moldova, and promised a “response.” The statement from the Russian defence ministry was issued on the eve of the one‑year anniversary of Moscow’s offensive in Ukraine. Since the full‑scale assault began a year ago, the Kremlin has been accused of stoking tensions in Transnistria to destabilise both Ukraine and Moldova.
“The Kyiv regime has stepped up preparations for the invasion of the Transnistrian Moldavian Republic,” the ministry said, alleging that the planned “invasion” would be a reaction to an “alleged offensive by Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria.” It claimed Ukrainian forces were massing at the border with Moldova’s breakaway region and warned that such a provocation “poses a direct threat to the Russian peacekeeping contingent legally deployed in Transnistria.” The ministry added that “Russia’s armed forces will respond to the impending provocation of the Ukrainian side in an adequate manner.”
Moldova’s government rejected the Russian claims, stating that “state authorities do not confirm the information released this morning by the Russian Ministry of Defence.” In a Telegram post, officials called for calm and urged the public to rely on “official and trusted sources of the Republic of Moldova.”
Earlier this month, Moldovan President Maia Sandu accused Russia of plotting a violent overthrow of her government through saboteurs disguised as anti‑government protesters, a charge Moscow denied. Transnistria is a narrow strip of territory bordering Ukraine that broke away from Moldova after a brief war in 1992; Russian soldiers have been stationed there ever since. Moldova, a poor country of 2.6 million people with a sizable Russian minority, has moved toward the West in recent years, a shift that has angered Moscow.
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