Russian general has announced a plan to invade Moldova after the Ukraine invasion
357Russian general has announced a plan to invade Moldova after the Ukraine invasion.
On Friday, a Russian general stated his country's intention to invade the Moldovan territory of Transnistria.
Brigadier General Rustam Minnekayev, acting commander of Russia's Central Military District, stated at a defense industry meeting that the Russian Armed Forces intend to "make passage" into the region — in Moldova's eastern region, bordering Ukraine, and less than 30 miles from the port city of Odessa — in order to establish a "land corridor to Crimea." Russian media reported that the Russian Armed Forces plan to "make passage" into the region in order to establish A corridor of this kind would also profess to link the Russian mainland with Transnistria, if it were built.
Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Minnekayev remarked that the action was part of Russia's second phase of its campaign in Ukraine, which includes gaining complete control over the Donbas region and the Ukrainian coast along the Black Sea. However, there was no indication of when the move would begin to take place.
"Control over the south of Ukraine is another exit into Transnistria," Minnekayev said in his statements, adding that "there are also indications pointing to the mistreatment of the Russian-speaking people" in Transnistria, which he described as "a strategic importance." TRANSNIstria is a separatist area in Moldova, similar to the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in terms of language and population. It has been independently administered by a pro-Russian side since 1990 and has been a part of the European Union since 2004. It is not recognized internationally by any country, including Russia, despite the fact that roughly 1,500 Russian military are stationed in the area and that the region's commerce is predominantly focused on the Russian continental territory.
On April 2, Ukraine's military forces issued a warning that Russia was preparing to mobilize soldiers in Transnistria, a claim that Moldova originally disputed. It is believed by Ukraine that such mobilization is a precursor to strikes on Odessa, Ukraine's biggest port city and a vital hub for international commerce.
Since Russia's annexation of Transnistria occurred in late February of 2022, the war with Ukraine has spread to another European nation-state, causing the conflict to become more widespread.
More concerningly, Minnekayev said in his statements that Russia was now "at war with the whole globe, just as it [was] during the Great Patriotic War."