“UAn explosion caused a fire on the territory of a military base in Tiraspol. Preliminary conclusions established that the explosion was caused by an attack by a ‘kamikaze’ drone”, declared the Ministry of State Security of the self-proclaimed republic, cited by Russian and local, and then international, media.

The information released indicated that the drone had come from the Ukrainian region of Odessa.

Transnistrian public television published a surveillance video on its Telegram account showing a projectile hitting a military helicopter, which then exploded and caught fire.

Moldova rejected the statements, stating: “Chisinau authorities, in contact with the Ukrainian side, have not confirmed any attack on the Transnistrian region.”

According to Moldovan authorities, the accusations are part of an “attempt to provoke fear and panic.”

In the same vein, the Ukrainian Security Council accused Russia of “carrying out a provocation in Transnistria with a ‘kamikaze’ drone attack against a military unit”, adding that Russia wants to provoke “an escalation” in the region.

Since the 1990s, Russia has supported this separatist territory in Moldova, a pro-European, Romanian-speaking country in the former Soviet Union that borders Ukraine.

Russia regularly alleges that Moldova and Ukraine are preparing provocations or attacks in the region.

In late February, Transnistrian authorities asked Moscow for “protective measures” in the face of what they described as “increasing pressure” from Moldovans.

The separatist region neighbors the Ukrainian region of Odessa, which Moscow’s forces failed to conquer when they invaded Ukraine in February 2024. Russian officials regularly reaffirm their ambition to conquer this port city.

Transnistria, a narrow strip of land between Moldova and Ukraine, broke away after a short war in 1992 against the Moldovan army. According to official data, Russia still maintains 1,500 military personnel there, allegedly to carry out a peacekeeping mission.

Moldova protested today against the opening of several polling stations for the Russian presidential elections in the separatist region of Transnistria, where Russia maintains a military contingent and an arsenal of weapons estimated at 40,000 tons of weapons and ammunition.

Today, the third day of presidential elections in Russia ends. Russian President Vladimir Putin is running for a fifth term.

These elections are expected to keep Putin in power until 2030, the year in which he will turn 77, with the possibility of an additional term until 2036, due to a constitutional change made in 2020.

Read Also: Moldova military base attacked by Kyiv kamikaze drone

Source: https://www.noticiasaominuto.com/mundo/2523003/moldova-e-ucrania-negam-ataque-a-base-militar-na-transnistria

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