TIRASPOL, May 5. /TASS/. An armed conflict in Transnistria will mean a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO, Vadim Krasnoselsky, president of the unrecognized Republic of Transnistria, said in an interview with TASS.
"A war in Transnistria would mean a direct conflict between Russia and NATO. I don’t have the slightest doubt about it. Everything is closely intertwined here. Both Romania, a NATO member, and the Russian Federation have interests here.
As many as 220,000 Russian citizens live here. Russian peacekeepers are on a mission here based on an international mandate, which grants them the right to defend themselves and the local population, regardless of citizenship. This is why those who talk about a possible act of provocation – the so-called assistance to Moldova in Transnistria – are in fact simply pushing Moldova towards chaos, the flames of war and bloodshed," Krasnoselsky pointed out, commenting on some Ukrainian politicians’ proposals for the Ukrainian army to help Chisinau resolve the Transnistria issue by force, which had earlier been rejected by Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean.
"Perhaps, it will benefit someone in the short term but I don’t think that Moldova will benefit from that. This is why Mr. Recean has rightfully said – and I support him in this – that all issues between Moldova and Transnistria need to be resolved solely by peaceful means. We’ve already seen bloody developments and we must not return to chaos like that," the Transnistrian leader said.
Krasnoselsky stressed that Transnistria had never threatened anyone nor had it been a source of military hostility.
On terrorist threat
In April 2022, Transnistria moved to the critical red level of terrorist threat following a series of terrorist attacks. The series began with a grenade launcher attack on the State Security Ministry building. Later, broadcast antennas were blown up at one of the region’s largest radio and television centers in the Mayak settlement. Military airfields near Tiraspol and Rybnitsa also came under attack, as well as an ammunition depot near the settlement of Cobasna, where some 20,000 tons of ammunition is stored. The attacks caused no casualties.
In March 2023, the Transnistrian Ministry of State Security announced that a terrorist attack on the leaders of the republic and senior officials at the OSCE mission to Moldova had been foiled. The organizers planned to detonate an explosive device planted in a car in downtown Tiraspol. Two suspects were detained. Krasnoselsky stated at the time that the act of sabotage had been planned and prepared by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU). The security threat level was lowered from critical to high, or yellow, on May 25, 2023. However, the yellow level also provides for tightened security measures aimed at protecting public order.