The Russian war of aggression in Ukraine is very close in Moldova. The fighting in the neighboring country is bothering people in the small ex-Soviet republic – especially since the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria in the east of the country was shaken by several explosions. In the border region between Moldova, which is under the control of the central government in Chisinau, and Transnistria, which is not internationally recognized, residents are concerned about the future.
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Victoria crosses the Varnita border crossing into Transnistria daily. The 36-year-old medical assistant lives on the Moldovan side of the border, but her work is in Transnistria. “I’m pregnant and very worried,” says Victoria. “I’ve never experienced a situation like this before.” One thing is certain: “If things change, we will leave.”
Galina Turcanu, who runs a family business that operates on both sides of the border, is also worried. “We are all concerned,” emphasizes the 46-year-old. At the moment she is not thinking about leaving the country. “Our parents and all our family are here. We will stay and see which way the wind blows.”
There are great fears that the war in Ukraine will spread to other countries. Moldova is at the center of the fears: the pro-Western central government in Chisinau, which like Kyiv is striving for EU membership, is a thorn in the side of the Kremlin.
Added to this are the tensions surrounding Moscow-backed Transnistria, which split from Moldova as the Soviet Union collapsed. To date, around 1,500 Russian soldiers are stationed in the region directly bordering Ukraine, and Chisinau has long been demanding their withdrawal.
Separatist region reports multiple explosions
The west was alarmed after the Transnistrian authorities recently reported several explosions. Accordingly, the Ministry of Public Security in the regional capital Tiraspol was allegedly attacked with a grenade launcher on Monday.
The following day, according to the authorities, there were explosions at a radio tower on the Ukrainian border, through which Russian radio stations were broadcast. Shots were reported from a village where Russia has an arms depot.
While Russia spoke of “acts of terrorism”, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and her French colleague Jean-Yves Le Drian warned against attempts to weaken Moldova’s territorial integrity. After a phone call, they stressed their “common determination” to support the country “in the face of the dangers of its destabilization.”
Statements by a Russian general who denounced the alleged oppression of Russian-speaking people in Transnistria had already caused unrest last week. Before invading Ukraine, Moscow made similar statements about the eastern Ukrainian Donbass.
Moldova’s government is concerned
Moldova’s deputy prime minister, Oleg Serebrian, did not want to paint the danger of a Russian intervention too dramatically. He told France Info that the recent tensions in Transnistria may stem from an “internal” conflict between pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces in the region and are not necessarily an expression of “external influence”.
Nevertheless, Serebrian admitted that the situation is worrying – not only because of the geopolitical starting point, but also because of Moldova’s economic weakness. Moldova is one of the poorest countries in Europe. The Ukraine war is already causing bottlenecks in the country of 2.6 million people. Added to this is the high gas dependency on Russia.
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For people in the region, the Ukraine war is bringing back painful memories of the armed conflict that preceded Transnistria’s secession in the early 1990s. “We don’t want something like this to happen again,” says family entrepreneur Turcanu.
Local media have reported over the past few days how precarious the situation is for many people: While many Transnistrians have applied for Russian passports in recent years, the number of people who have renewed their Moldovan documents has recently increased. Turcanu has also prepared. The 46-year-old points to her bag: “All passports are in there.” (AFP, Hervé Bossy)
