Chisinau sees no risk of Transnistria getting dragged into Ukrainian conflict — deputy PM

According to Moldova's Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebryan, Ukraine has no interest in opening a new hot spot

The authorities in Moldova do not see a major risk of Transnistria getting dragged in the Ukrainian conflict, said Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration Oleg Serebryan, commenting on the talks he had last week with Vadim Krasnoselsky, leader of the unrecognized republic, Qazet.az reports.

"There’s no denying that we live in a sensitive zone and that the war in Ukraine is affecting us, as far as security is concerned, too. Yet, nobody’s been put up in readiness for the region to get dragged into the conflict. I didn’t feel that either the population from the left bank of the Nistru or the local business is seeking escalation," Moldova’s Noi.md cited Serebryan as saying on Wednesday. The Moldovan authorities have been maintaining dialogue and exchanging information with their Transnistrian counterparts, he emphasized.

He also denied warnings circulating in Kiev that Transnistria could attack Ukraine.

"I do not think the risk of Transnistria attacking Ukraine is currently real," Serebryan said, adding that "Ukraine has no interest in opening a new hot spot."

The talks Serebryan and advisor to the Moldovan president Dorin Recean held on April 27 with Krasnoselsky were the first high-level contact between Chisinau and Tiraspol since Maia Sandu was elected Moldova’s president in 2020. After assuming office, Sandu herself said she had no intention of meeting with the leader of the unrecognized republic.

Last week, Transnistria was rocked by a number of terror attacks. Krasnoselsky said those were organized from Ukraine and raised the republic’s terrorism threat level to the highest.