CHISINAU, March 15. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces and their fortification system near the Transnistrian border do not threaten Moldova, Deputy Prime Minister Oleg Serebrian said.
"These fortifications are defensive, not offensive. Ukraine is concerned about the possibility of an attack from the Transnistrian region. We’ve all been witnesses to the discussion of the hypothesis that, unfortunately, the Transnistrian region may be used as a bridgehead for aggression against Ukraine," the official, who heads the Cabinet’s Reintegration department, told the Rlive TV channel.
"It has never been a secret that there are many military groups near Transnistria. They can be used on other fronts: in Kherson or in Donbass," he added.
In late February, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Kiev regime was planning a provocation against Transnistria in the near future using units of the Ukrainian armed forces and nationalists from the Azov batallion (outlawed in Russia). The ministry pointed out that the pretext for the invasion would be a staged attack by Russian troops from the territory of Transnistria. The Russian Defense Ministry also reported a significant accumulation of personnel and military equipment of Ukrainian units near the Ukrainian-Transnistrian border. At the same time, Tiraspol expressesed concern about new arms deliveries from EU countries to Ukraine via Moldova. Chisinau reiterated its commitment to a peaceful resolution of the Transnistrian issue.