In contrast to the Ukrainian war, fears of a widening of the conflict escalated after successive bombings that rocked the pro-Russian separatist region of Transdniestria in Moldova.
Moreover, the inclusion of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, the main ally of the Kremlin, during an earlier time, the Transnistria region on the map of the battle of the Russian assets in Eastern Europe.
European security arrangements and support
Over the past days, the capital, Chisinau, witnessed political preparations, as government and opposition officials held talks to defuse political tensions between them to unite the country against any possible attack.
Moldova officials say the country needs to prepare to face the threats arising from the neighboring conflict in Ukraine, according to the British newspaper, “The Independent”.
Its foreign minister, Nico Popescu, called on the West to provide financial and political support, saying: “We are Ukraine’s most fragile neighbor and our situation is complicated on all fronts.”
Like Ukraine, the country of about 33,000 square kilometers has long been a target of Russian influence operations, according to US media sources.
Since last March, a number of officials have flocked to this country, which is among the poorest in Europe. Most notably, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and European Council President Charles Michel, in a message to Russia that the West will not leave Moldova alone.
Blinken’s visit came to show support for pro-Western President Maya Sandu, while Michel announced that the European Union would support Moldova militarily and plan to deliver military equipment.
As for the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and his German counterpart, Annalena Birbock, announced last week, their countries’ intention to support Chisinau.
Unlike Ukraine, Moldova’s constitution enshrines neutrality in the conflict between East and West, and local officials have long stated that the country will not seek NATO membership.
Transnistria crisis
The breakaway region of Transnistria from Moldova, bordering southwestern Ukraine, has turned into a hotbed, after Russia modified its military plan to seize control of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
According to Russian General Rustam Minkayev, Russia is seeking “to create a corridor through southern Ukraine to the breakaway Transnistria of Moldova.”
Dr. Ashraf al-Sabbagh, a specialist in Russian affairs, says that Transnistria separated from Moldova after a short civil war in the 1990s, a region that Moscow supports economically and militarily, and is one of the pockets of Russian influence in Eastern Europe.
And he added, in statements to “Sky News Arabia”, that Russia supplies this region with free gas and deploys 1,500 soldiers there, pointing out that “Russia’s goal in that focus is to complicate Moldova’s accession to the European Union after it submitted an application last March.”
Military Mode
Militarily, Moldova is a weak country, and received military assistance from Romania during its war with pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria during the 1990s.
The number of the Moldovan armed forces is not large. According to military reports, it amounts to about 11,000 soldiers and volunteers or less. Moldova has accepted control of all its weapons related to the former Soviet Union.
On October 30, 1992, it ratified the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, and the country also acceded to the provisions of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in October 1994, thus having no nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, as well as joining the NATO Partnership for Peace on 16 March 1994.
Alliance with Romania
Moldovan residents also share the language and history with Romania, and at least 40 percent of them hold the passport of Romania, a member of the European Union.
In this context, the former Prime Minister of Moldova, Yuri Lianke, believes that the solution to repel any Russian attack is an alliance with Romania.
He added, in statements to the Moldovan “Timbol” website, that “a similar situation occurred in 2014, when he was himself prime minister, and he agreed with the Romanian president.”
Non-parliamentary political parties in Moldova and Romania are promoting the idea of uniting the two countries.
But Moldova’s deputy prime minister, Oleg Cerebrian, says “there is still no threat of hostilities from Ukraine on the territory of Moldova.”
Commenting, the researcher in international relations, Jamal Abdel Hamid, told Sky News Arabia, “The Transnistria bombings confirm that Russia is preparing the ground for a different stage in Moldova. An easy target for a military operation similar to what happened in Crimea in 2014.”
He added that the seizure of Moldova and Ukraine’s Bessarabia, which borders Romania, would constitute a kind of symbolic prize that might give Moscow breathing space after Ukraine’s steadfastness.
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