The Kremlin had coordinated last week's visit of five high-ranking military commanders with Chisinau, confirmed Gheorghe Balan, Moldova's chief negotiator, during a talk show on TVR-Moldova.

“We couldn't oppose this visit. We had been informed by Moscow that the five (officials) would come to inspect the Russian troops deployed in Transnistria. It was a matter of personnel rotation”, said Balan.

According to Balan, although the list initially also included Gen. Aleksandr Lentsov, who reportedly commanded military operations in Donbas in 2014 and participated in the takeover of Crimea, he canceled his visit at the last moment.

The visit sparked some hard feelings in Chisinau, with a group of protesters trying to bar the Russian militaries' entry into Moldova at the Chisinau Airport. The police intervened, escorting the delegation to a group of cars with Transnistrian plates parked nearby.