A study carried out by the Institute for Development and Social Initiative “Viitorul” shows the number of military exercises in the Transnistrian region staged by the Russian armed forces together with the Transnistrian paramilitary units has increased. In 2016, there were staged 48 milligram exercises, while in 2017 there were confirmed 150 such drills, while the non-confirmed ones rose to 200. During the first three months of 2018, there were held 54 military exercises, IPN reports.
Study author Rosian Vasiloi, security expert, said the Moldovan authorities encourage separatism by contracts for the purchase of electric power from Cuchurgan. The Transnistrian authorities continue to resort to blackmailing and obstruction tactics, like in the case of the “customs terminal” in Gura Bicului- Bychok. The Security Zone is militarized in breach of the provisions of the current agreements. This is not monitored by the OSCE Mission to Moldova.
Rosian Vasiloi noted that the excessive militarization of the region is used as a shield for the military forces of Russia, while the precedent of the “absorption” of the so-called armed forces of the Transnistrian region by the Ministry of Defense, the Federal Security Service and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia can have negative effects on Moldova as well. The lack of a firm position on the part of the Moldovan authorities to the defying actions by the Russian Federation points to an inconclusive approach that undermines Moldova’s position in the Transnistrian conflict settlement process.
In this connection, the Government is requested to work out a compressive reintegration policy document that is to lay out the objectives and priority directions. The Moldovan authorities should also adopt policies to drastically limit the Russian service members’ access to Moldova. The Government should reconfirm Moldova’s official position following the adoption of the Parliament Statement whereby Russia is requested to fully withdraw its troops and munitions from the Transition region of Moldova. The complete and unconditional pullout of the arsenal should include the arms that were illegally transferred to the Transnistrian paramilitary forces.
The Moldovan authorities should impose travel restrictions on the commanders of the occupation troops and other officers who coordinated the military exercises staged together with the Transnistrian paramilitary units, and should bring criminal proceedings against the Transnistrian and Russian service members who block the participation by military observers of Moldova (or the OSCE) in any kinds of monitoring, inspection, fact-finding and documentation activities related to the supervision of the Security Zone. The authorities should also demand that the mediators and observers to the 5+2 Transnistrian conflict settlement talks restore the OSCE Mission’s main duty to inspect all the military facilities of the Russian occupation forces and separatist paramilitary bodies.
