CHISINAU, July 25. /TASS/. Russian peacekeepers who saved thousands of lives in Transnistria should continue maintaining peace in the region, Vadim Krasnoselsnky, the non-recognized republic’s president, said.

"Russian peacekeepers stopped the war here, saving hundreds if not thousands of lives, which would have been in danger had the conflict escalated. They paved the way for a negotiation process. Over the past 32 years, no evidence has been presented to question the Russian peacekeeping mission and the joint peacekeeping operation; there have only been negative emotions and outright lies. I would like to point out that apart from Russian troops, the peacekeeping operation also involves Transnistrian and Moldovan peacekeepers. The mechanisms of the peacekeeping operation are quite effective," Krasnoselsly said at a rally dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the peacekeeping mission’s deployment.

"Over the 32 years of the peacekeeping mission, joint efforts, dedicated work and competent leadership have made it possible to preserve peace and effectively achieve the goals set out in the 1992 peace agreement. No conflicts have taken place in the security zone over this period; the situation is controllable and manageable," Russian Ambassador to Moldova Oleg Vasnetsov said at the rally.

Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the Transnistrian conflict zone on July 21, 1991, based on an agreement on peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in Moldova’s Transnistrian region. In addition, the some 1,000-strong Operational Group of Russian Forces is also stationed in the region. It is tasked with ensuring the security of depots in Cobasna that hold more than 20,000 tons of munitions that were put in storage there after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from European countries. Besides, the group’s mission is also to provide support to the peacekeepers who were actually blocked after the Kiev authorities had cut supply routes via Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Chisinau insists on the withdrawal of the Russian group of forces and calls for replacing the peacekeepers with a civilian mission under an international mandate. However, Transnistria rejects the idea, citing what happened in 1992, when such a mission failed to prevent an armed conflict that killed over 1,000 people and left tens of thousands wounded.