Moldova–Transnistria relations

By establishing control over southern Ukraine, Russia will secure "another route" to Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria, where Russian troops have been based since the collapse of the Soviet Union, a senior Russian military commander was quoted as saying on Friday.

Visiting Chisinau on Wednesday, a senior Russian official said Russia and Moldova have agreed to lift trade restrictions and could agree also on the disposal of stocks of expired Soviet-era ammunition stored in the breakaway Russian-supported Transnistrian region.

Russian deputies have condemned the joint decision of Moldova and Ukraine to compel all vehicles in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria to re-register with "neutral" platers if they want to cross into Ukraine through the Cuciurgan customs point from September 1, 2021.

The State Border Guard Service of Ukraine announced on Thursday that it was sending reinforcements to the border with Moldova amid a worsening dispute between Ukraine and Russia that has triggered fears of all-out war.

"Rapid Response Units are working out practical elements of protection of the Ukrainian-Moldovan border," the Ukrainian Border Guard press release said.

Two Moldovan journalists working for the TV8 television station, Viorica Tataru and Andrei Captarenco, were stopped on Tuesday by Russian and Transnistrian separatist peacekeeping troops at the Gura Bacului checkpoint and ordered to erase all the footage they had filmed and surrender their technical equipment.

The breakaway region of Transnistria in Moldova on Sunday staged parliamentary elections for the seventh Supreme Council (local parliament) since 1992, in which only a minority of voters cast ballots.

The Moldovan Foreign Ministry on Monday evening criticised the Operative Group of Russian Troops, which is stationed in the breakaway region of Transnistria, for holding a ceremony to mark the recruitment of a new group of minors to the ranks of Russia's Yunarmia (Youth Army) movement. 

Four years after he absconded, a Transnistrian former army recruit finds himself behind bars in the rebel Moldovan region, a pawn in a propaganda war.

Some Transnistrian exporters are taking advantage of the preferential trade system by registering with the central business registry of Moldova and paying taxes to Chisinau.

Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria has asked its ally and sponsor Russia to allow it to issue Transnistrian "passports" at the diplomatic office it opened in January in Moscow.

The region, which broke away from Moldova in 1992, backed by Russia, has not been recognised by any member states of the United Nations - Russia included.