- The landlocked strip along the Dniester River is wedged between Moldova and Ukraine
Putin is reportedly on the verge of another land grab to defy the West by possibly soon announcing that Russia will take control of a breakaway Moldovan region.
There is speculation that the unofficial state of Transnistria is about to make an appeal to Putin to join Russia.
The landlocked strip along the Dniester River is wedged between Moldova and Ukraine.
Putin already has a peacekeeping force of up to 2,000 in the area that Russia says it overwhelmingly wants to be annexed by Moscow. There are also probably thousands of Russian paramilitaries on the ground.
It is feared that Putin will use a speech from the Russian Federal Assembly on February 29 to give the green light to the annexation.
Putin (pictured) is reportedly on the verge of another land grab to defy the West by possibly soon announcing Russia’s takeover of a breakaway Moldovan region
Transnistria is a landlocked strip along the Dniester River, sandwiched between Moldova and Ukraine
A day earlier, a ‘congress’ of local politicians was convened in Transnistria, amid speculation that they will make a formal call to join Russia. A similar conference previously led to such a demand.
Local opposition politician Gennadiy Chorba claims that the plot to conquer Transnistria is underway as part of Putin’s re-election campaign.
This will give Putin a so-called ‘legal’ power to enter Transnistria, which has been in limbo since the end of the Soviet Union.
The dictator has noticed the West’s failure to meet Ukraine’s need for weapons and thinks he could get away with another annexation, experts say.
Potentially, Russia could use the area to push against the rest of Moldova, which is seen as another target, and as a point for attacks on the Ukrainian port of Odessa, seen as a much more important prize.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has insisted that Moscow “will not leave its citizens living in Transnistria in trouble.”
Moldovan President President Maia Sandu claimed last year that Russia is planning a coup in her country.
Ukrainian intelligence said Moscow’s possible move was “unconfirmed” but was being closely watched.
Sources also emphasize that it could be difficult for Putin to send troops to bolster the forces Russia has had in Transnistria since the end of the Soviet era.
But opposition politician Gennady Ciorba warned Sandu about the Kremlin threat, saying that “the psychology of Russia’s current leadership, in particular Putin, is very similar to the psychology of Hitler in the late 1930s….
“Attempts to appease people like Putin only lead to one thing: the growing appetite of the aggressor.”
Ukrainian military analyst Aleksander Kovalenko described the reports as “worrying.”
And he warned: “This group of (Russian) troops poses a serious threat to Moldova because it is a much more combat-ready force than the Moldovan army.”
With almost 30 percent, Russians form the largest group among the population of Transnistria.
Another 29 percent are Moldovan or Romanian, while 23 percent are Ukrainian.