Ukraine ready to help Moldova de-occupy Transnistria – Budanov
European Pravda - FRIDAY, 22 JULY 2022, 22:44
The head of the Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence, Kyrylo Budanov, has said that Ukraine is ready to help Moldova with the de-occupation of Transnistrian territory.
Budanov said this on Friday during the nationwide joint 24/7 newscast, as reported by an Evropeiska Pravda correspondent.
"I support Moldova's desire to get rid of the occupying forces from its territory. And we as a state and as a special service will do everything to help a brotherly state get rid of the invaders from its land," he said.
Budanov's words were heard against the background of a statement by Vitaliy Ignatiev, the head of the "Ministry of Foreign Affairs" of the unrecognised "Transnistrian Moldavian Republic", that the territory is seeking to gain independence from Moldova with subsequent annexation to Russia. Dmitry Belik, a member of the Russian State Duma Committee on International Affairs, stated the same.
The Bureau for the Reintegration of Moldova emphasised that the reintegration of the country is the main goal of the negotiations on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict.
"All international partners and the constitutional authorities resolutely support the formula for a peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognised borders," the bureau said.
Background: on 21 July, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova confirmed that it had not allowed Russian military personnel from the so-called Operational Group (OGRV [Operational group of Russian troops - ed.]) based in Transnistria to enter the country .
The OGRV itself is quite small: two motorised rifle battalions plus a command unit. In total, this represents from 1,500 to 1,700 Russian Federation servicemen. The vast majority of the staff of the OGRV is made up of local residents who have Russian citizenship.
Moldova considers the presence of the OGRV in Transnistria to be illegal and demands its withdrawal. Previously, the Russian military could rotate through the land corridor in Ukraine, but since 2014, they have had no such opportunity.
