Moldova prohibits entry for Russian troops coming from unrecognized Transnistria

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova did not allow Russian military personnel to enter the territory of the country.

This was stated by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova Daniel Voda, European Pravda reported.

The Russians of the Operational Group of Russian Forces based in the Transnistria region were not allowed into the territory of Moldova.

The statement confirms that “officers of the so-called operational group of Russian troops are an illegal formation that violates the status of neutrality of Moldova.”

“The military personnel rotation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent is conducted in a certain way to avoid risks and ensure the coordinated movement of the contingent’s personnel,” Daniel Voda said.

Previously, the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed concerns about the cases of detention of Russian officers who “were sent to the Transnistria region to staff the Russian contingent on a rotational basis.”

“In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration repeats the position of the Moldovan authorities regarding the need to unconditionally resume the process of withdrawing Russian troops and ammunition depots from our country,” the spokesman added.

The Russian military contingent in the Transnistria region is officially called the Operational Group of Russian Forces. It was created from the remnants of the former 14th Russian army stationed here in the early 1990s and took an active part in the Transnistrian conflict.

The publication notes that Moldova considers the presence of the Operational Group of Russian Forces in the Transnistria region illegal and demands its withdrawal.

Previously, the Russian military could rotate through the land corridor from Ukraine, but after 2014, they no longer have such an opportunity.

In April, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu announced that the country will modernize its army.

The European Union plans to provide additional military equipment to the Moldovan Armed Forces.