Impact on military station
Transnistria reports Ukrainian drone attack
March 17, 2024, 7:33 p.m
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The Transnistria region is officially part of Moldova, but has been ruled by pro-Russian separatists for decades. They are now reporting an alleged drone attack from the Ukrainian port city of Odessa, which is said to have caused a military helicopter to catch fire.
According to the pro-Russian government there, an explosive drone launched in Ukraine hit a military base in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria. The explosion caused a fire at the base in Tiraspol, the security ministry of the self-proclaimed government said, according to local media. The pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria claim that the kamikaze drone was launched from the neighboring Ukrainian region of Odessa.
Transnistria’s state television published surveillance camera footage on the Telegram online service that appears to show a bullet hitting a military helicopter. The helicopter then bursts into flames. The governments of Moldova and Ukraine have rejected the claims of authorities in Transnistria. After contacts with Kiev, Moldova “cannot confirm any attack on the Transnistria region,” said the government in Moldova’s capital Chisinau.
The Ukrainian government accused Russia of staging the attack using a kamikaze drone. The government office to combat disinformation in Kiev said it was a “provocation” and targeted misinformation.
The incident occurred during Russia’s three-day presidential election, which was scheduled to last until Sunday evening. It is certain that President Vladimir Putin will secure another six-year term. Three insignificant candidates ran against him. All of the Kremlin leader’s best-known critics are either dead, imprisoned or in exile.
Separatists in Transnistria asked for “protection” from Moldova
Transnistria is part of Moldova. The small European country with 2.6 million inhabitants lies between Romania and Ukraine. Russia’s announcement that it would also set up polling stations in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria met with sharp criticism from the government in Chisinau and partners such as the federal government.
The pro-Russian separatists in Transnistria asked Russia for “protection” from Moldova at the end of February. Russia then described the “protection” of Transnistrian residents as a “priority.” Moldova’s government dismissed the Russian-backed separatists’ statements as “propaganda.”