The alleged military attack in the Transnistrian region and the attack with containers with flammable substances at the Russian Embassy in Chisinau resemble provocations aimed at fueling fear and creating a tense situation, President Maia Sandu said when asked to comment on the two incidents that happened last Sunday, IPN reports.
“We will see what information comes later, if this first appraisal by the state institutions is confirmed,” the head of state told a press conference.
Asked about the opening of polling stations in the Transnistrian region for the Russian presidential election contrary to the Government’s decision, Maia Sandu said it is a new action that defies Moldova’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is a new action by the Russian Federation showing disrespect for the state and its citizens. The response measure will be announced by the Government in due time.
For the Russian presidential elections, the Moldovan authorities authorized the opening of only one polling station – inside the Russian Embassy in Chisinau. A number of Russian citizens went to vote there las Sunday. Near noon, a man threw two containers with flammable substances over the Embassy’s fence. According to the General Police Inspectorate, the man was immediately detained and identified. When being questioned, he argued that he is dissatisfied with the actions of the Russian authorities.
However, the administration of the Transnistrian region allowed opening polling stations in Tiraspol, Bender, Rybnitsa, and Grigoriopol. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned Russia’s unauthorized electoral activities on the sovereign territory of Moldova in the administrative-territorial units on the left bank of the Nistru.
Also on Sunday, the Transnistrian press reported that a kamikaze drone hit a helicopter on the territory of a military unit in Tiraspol and exploded. The drone allegedly came from the direction of the Klevernyi Bridge in Ukraine. There were no victims, but a criminal case was yet started over this case. The Bureau for Reintegration Policies said that this was an attempt to cause fear and panic in the region, noting that the helicopter shown in the images distributed by a local Telegram channel has been derelict for many years. The Moldovan authorities, which keep in touch with the Ukrainian side, didn’t confirm any attack on the Transnistrian region.
