Putin will start the war in Moldova “the moment he reaches Transnistria”, says an expert.
HotNews.ro
According to the expert, Russia is likely to target Moldova if it succeeds in invading Ukraine – or even sooner.
MoldaviaPhoto: Dreamstime.com
Russia continues to focus its military potential to gain control over the Donbas regions of eastern Ukraine, which has been the objective since the beginning of the war. After the failure to capture the capital Kyiv, Russian forces moved massively eastward.
But the prospect of launching a similar invasion in Moldova, the small republic in southern Ukraine, has been worrying for months. Like its attacked neighbor, the Republic of Moldova was Soviet territory until 1991. And the separatist region along the border with Ukraine, Transnistria, was recognized by Moscow but not by any other UN member.
Many speculated that Russia would move to take control of Moldova after a hypothetical victory in Ukraine. But Iuri Felstinski, author, historian and expert in the geopolitical history of Russia, told Express UK that the invasion of Moldova could start much sooner:
“Even before they finish in Ukraine, if they get to Transnistria along the way, they will start the war there. Moldova will be in danger the moment the Russians arrive in Transnistria, if the Ukrainians are not able to stop them. And Moldova, of course, is not a member of NATO.”
Felstynski claims that Putin will never be satisfied with only controlling the Donbas regions, which was the pretext for the invasion, nor with other regions that he currently controls.
The ground has already been prepared in Moldova, he explains. Around 2,000 peacekeepers remained stationed in Transnistria after the demise of the Soviet Union, and over the past decade have been issuing Russian passports to the Russian-speaking population.
“In Moldova, in Transnistria, there are approximately 20,000 Russian speakers, who govern Russians at first to issue them Russian passports. He’s been doing it since 2014.”
Russian officials have previously denied the idea of invading Moldova, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said in April that they “will avoid such a scenario.”
Moldovan Prime Minister Natalia Gavriliță said in late July that she was “very concerned” about the prospect of a Russian invasion, but added that “at the moment it is a hypothetical scenario.” (photo: Dreamstime.com)
Source: Newsweek
Follow the latest developments from the 173rd day of the war in Ukraine LIVETEXT on HOTNEWS.RO.