The multiple incidents in the Transnistrian region are meant to create anxiety in society and justify the establishment of multiple checkpoints when crossing the administrative line, said Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian. He admitted that the situation on the left bank of the Nistru is complicated, given that the territory is outside the control of the constitutional authorities, but assured that state institutions are vigilant, IPN reports.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration noted that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, incidents have periodically taken place in the Transnistrian region, aimed at keeping society in a state of panic and anxiety. Transnistrian forces, with external complicity, could be behind those actions.
“These incidents have only one purpose - to sow unrest, to maintain a state of alert. Probably, there are forces on the left bank of the Nistru, which are interested in proving their usefulness so as to transmit that the situation is not really under control, there is unrest and more money is needed to finance institutions. There are various hypotheses about who is behind the multiple incidents that have occurred since 2022. Our opinion is that forces from the left side of the Nistru, with external complicity, are involved. On the one hand, the stake is to sow panic. On the other hand, there is also the interest of those who have “de facto” control of the Transnistrian region to explain why excessive checkups are needed when crossing the Nistru, why an exceptional situation and the so-called yellow code are needed. All these things must have an argumentation and their argumentation is that there is unrest,” Oleg Serebrian stated in the stalk how “At 360 Degrees” on Radio Moldova station.
According to the official, the state institutions monitor the situation on the left bank of the Nistru and periodically warn the population about possible provocations.
“A few weeks ago, in a press release from the Bureau, we warned that such incidents could still occur. And there have been incidents. After the helicopter incident, there was another incident at the Rybnitsa base, but it less covered by the media. We must avoid information that can panic society, but simultaneously we must honestly say that there may be certain problems, admit that the situation is not calm. We need prudence. We must understand that the neighboring country is at war and we have a foreign Russian military presence on our territory. But the competent authorities are paying attention to these things,” said the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration.
In March, the administration on the left bank of the Nistru announced that a drone allegedly hit a helicopter stationed on the territory of a paramilitary unit in Tiraspol. Later, the constitutional authorities in Chisinau denied the information, noting that the images presented by the Transnistrian side were fake. In early April, the so-called security ministry in Tiraspol announced that a kamikaze drone attacked a military unit in Rybnitsa. The incident was described by Prime Minister Dorin Recean as an “ordinary provocation”.