When Moldovan intelligence chief Alexandru Musteata said in a TV interview on Monday, it sounded alarming: “The question is not whether Russia will launch another attack on Moldova, but when that will happen: either early in the year, in January, February, or later in the year.” March April.”
Such fears had existed in Moldova in the first few weeks of the Russian attack on Ukraine in the spring. At that time, worried eyes were directed towards the south of the country. An attack by Russian forces on the Ukrainian port city of Odessa and attempted landings on the narrow strip of land separating Moldova from the Black Sea coast were expected. From there it is a stone’s throw to Transnistria, a strip of land with a predominantly Russian-speaking population that declared itself independent from Moldova during the collapse of the Soviet Union and has not been controlled by the Moldovan government since fighting in 1992. The attackers could have advanced quickly deep into western Ukraine through Transnistria.