MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Western countries are extremely interested in opening a second front in Transnistria, thinking that this will take pressure off of Ukraine’s armed forces, Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov said on Thursday.

"The West, as we understand, in the current situation is highly interested in opening this second front. This is related to their idea that, if this front opens, Russia will be forced to redeploy some of its means in the direction of Transnistria, thus alleviating pressure from the Ukrainian army in Ukraine’s south-east and east," the lawmaker said during a roundtable discussion on Russia’s peacekeeping operation in Transnistria at the Federation Council.

He also reiterated that "the largest munitions depot" is located in the vicinity of the Kolbasna settlement in Transnistria. "Of course, for the Ukrainian army which is right now totally starved of missiles, bullets and weapons, getting hold of these supplies would be extremely helpful, but this would be sour grapes," the legislator stressed.

"Nowadays, turning the issue of the Transnistrian settlement into yet another subject of geopolitical games fraught with the most unpredictable consequences cannot be allowed," he concluded.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." Following this, the US and its allies announced the introduction of sweeping sanctions against Russia and stepped up arms deliveries to Kiev.