There are evident mobilization moves in the Transnistrian region, said Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebrian. According to him, an eventual mobilization on the left side of the Nistru would attract Kyiv’s attention but Tiraspol does not want this. The illegal annexation of the four Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine is an extremely dangerous precedent, especially in the context of the self-styled referendum that was held in the Transnistrian region in 2006, IPN reports.
The official assured that the so-called partial mobilization announced by the President of Russia Vladimir Putin does not imply mobilization moves in the Transnistrian region. Earlier, President Maia Sandu said that the Ministry of Justice of Moldova will formulate proposals to make the punishment for those who will join the aggressor state’s army harsher.
“We didn’t notice determined moves in this regard beyond the traditional autumn conscription into the so-called Transnistrian army. Even if particular mobilization moves are made, their proportions are very small and are so small that neither we nor the international partners that attentively monitor the developments in the Transnistrian region noticed them. This would be something very dangerous. Such mobilization would attract Kyiv’s attention but no one in Tiraspol wants this. We bank a lot on reason,” Oleg Serebrian stated in an interview with Radio Moldova.
The official noted the illegal annexation of the four Ukrainian regions is worrisome for the Republic of Moldova that has a separatist enclave on the left side of the Nistru. However, such a scenario for now is less probable.
“This is a dangerous precedent for the system of values, for the international law system in Europe as the Helsinki principles were flouted. They were flouted back in 2014 by the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula and continue to be flouted now. By the annexation of the four regions, we can say that we enter a new age of the international relations, which seemed to have been overcome long ago. As to the possibility of a part of the Republic of Moldova being annexed, I don’t think this will happen but this is a circumstantial belief. The war is rather far and we do not have signs that something like this can take place. But we have the so-called referendum of 2006 and the careless statements by self-styled officials in Tiraspol, who invoked such an annexation procedure. What happened cannot generate concern anywhere in Europe, in particular in the Republic of Moldova,” noted Oleg Serebrian.
On September 30, President Vladimir Putin annexed to Russia the Ukrainian regions Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia following sham referendums held during September 23-27. In reply, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO.
