Moldova

Irina Stoliarik and her infant son Arkady have spent the last two weeks living in an abandoned movie theater in the Riscani section of Moldova's capital ...

“Right from the beginning of the refugee influx there was a great mobilization from the community to support refugees,” she said in the post. “Most of the support was based on volunteers, so it was really just Moldovans going there with food carts, clothes, offering transport, accommodation and more. Luckily, Boicenko had an uncle in Chisinau connected to the Baptist church. The next day, the Ukrainian government would issue a decree prohibiting military-age men from leaving the country. He knew if he stayed in Ukraine, he and his sons would be drafted into the army. European leaders are aware of the critical position Moldova finds itself in as it struggles to shelter its swelling refugee population. They were reluctant to leave, but that night a cruise missile flew over Boicenko’s home, rattling the windows. Sandu is seeking stronger ties with the European Union and formally applied for membership of the bloc following the invasion. Stoliarik preferred to take her chances in the big city, Chisinau, Moldova’s post-Soviet capital. In a green and cobalt field outside the town of Palanca, close to the country’s border, Moldova’s flag flies high above a temporary tented refugee camp, officially a “sorting and assistance center.” There is space here for hundreds of refugees. Poland has taken in more than 2.6 million, but Moldova has taken in more Ukrainian refugees per capita than any other nation. Outside, hundreds of refugees wait in line for donated clothes, food and children’s toys.

The president of ex-Soviet Moldova on Tuesday convened a meeting of the country's security council after a series of blasts in the Russian-backed separatist ...

President Sandu was elected in 2020 on a pro-Western programme. A senior Russian military official last week raised the issue of "oppression" of Russian speakers in Transnistria in the context of Russia's military campaign in Ukraine. But windows were blown out in the state security ministry building and smoke was "billowing out of the buildings", the Transnistria region's interior ministry said in a statement. "Early on April 26, two explosions were heard in the village of Mayak in Grigoriopolsky district,"it said in a statement. The ministry said two "powerful" antennae that were re-broadcasting Russian radio were out of order, and shared images of them lying on the ground. The press service of President Maia Sandu said she was set to hold a meeting of the country's Supreme Security Council "in connection with the incidents in the Transnistria region".

Two explosions damaged Soviet-era radio masts that broadcast Russian radio from a village in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria on Tuesday (26 ...

Moldova puts its hope in EU membership, although it has not followed Ukraine and Georgia in demanding NATO accession. “The Supreme Security Council will meet from 1300 (1000 GMT) at the Presidency. After the meeting, at 1500, President Maia Sandu will hold a press briefing”, the president’s press office said in a statement. Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday called for a meeting of the country’s Supreme Security Council in response to the incidents.

Moldova's president has convened the Security Council after authorities in separatist Transdniester said that two radio relays were damaged by blasts and a ...

Because of this, he was deprived of his private house and had to move to a small apartment in the Turkmen capital. He also warned of the threat of a third world war. Moscow has previously blamed Ukraine for attacks in the Russian region of Bryansk, which borders Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say that up to 1,000 civilians are sheltering in the maze of underground tunnels there. Russia said its military struck Ukraine's Kremenchuk oil refinery with long-range missiles and hit military installations in Ukraine. However, the Russian statement could not be independently confirmed. "Russia has made minor advances in some areas since shifting its focus to fully occupying the Donbas, it tweeted on April 25. "There was a hope that the case will be reviewed and sent for a new investigation. Baku wants the peace deal to be based on five elements, including a mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. The 40 Russian diplomats expelled three weeks ago "did not spend a day in diplomatic service during their stay in Germany," she said in a statement. "I am not Russian. And openly stating that does not diminish Russian culture, does not offend the state-founding ethnic group. Separately, Transdniester's Security Council reported a "terrorist attack" on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, without elaborating. It is demanding financial compensation for the damages and wants access to its channel restored.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu convened an urgent meeting of the country's supreme security council on Tuesday morning, after two explosions damaged ...

It is undoubtedly a world we hoped we would never like to live in.” It is a world where unprovoked warfare is taking its toll near our borders. Moldova is also not part of the EU, but again does have a diplomatic agreement with the member states.

Separately, Transnistria's Security Council reported a “terrorist attack” on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, Russia's TASS news agency reported. It ...

Start your Independent Premium subscription today. All vehicles entering at night would be checked, it said. Moldova has raised its terrorist threat level and the Kremlin voiced serious concerns after two blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in the breakaway region of Transnistria where authorities said a military unit was also targeted.

The reports of explosions in Transnistria could stoke fears about the scope of Russia's war in neighboring Ukraine.

The weapons: Ukraine is making use of weapons such as Javelin antitank missiles and Switchblade “kamikaze” drones, provided by the United States and other allies. In Transnistria, the Internal Affairs Ministry said explosions in the village of Mayak on Tuesday morning damaged two antennae that broadcast Russian radio. The ministry said there were no injuries. The region, which broke away after the collapse of the Soviet Union triggered a conflict in the early 1990s, is not recognized as independent by any country but operates separately from Moldova. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blasts. A Moldovan government body warned Monday of possible attempts to “create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region,” and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry called the blasts a “planned provocation by the Russian special services.”

Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Tuesday urged citizens to remain calm while she stepped up security measures after a series of explosions in the breakaway ...

“This is an attempt to escalate tensions. Sandu said after a meeting of the Supreme Security Council: “We urge citizens to keep calm and feel safe.” Sandu convened the country’s Supreme Security Council after blasts on Monday and Tuesday in the separatist region bordering Ukraine raised fears of a spillover from the conflict there.

Trans-Dniester doesn't usually get much attention. But European leaders are watching it closely because it hosts about 1500 Russian troops and shares a ...

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Tensions are rising in the breakaway Moldovan region of Transdniestria, adjacent to Ukraine, where authorities say explosions have hit radio masts and the ...

The separatists have blamed Ukraine, which deny any connection with the incidents. About 420,000 people live in the region and some people hold more than one passport. They said there had been another attack on a military unit. The mainly Russian-speaking region broke away from then-Soviet Moldova in 1990. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Transnistria is a literal powder keg, as it's home to a massive stockpile of aging Soviet-era explosives and ammunition. REZINA, Moldova — The Russian-uniformed ...

"And from what I've heard, there's no appetite for those armed forces to get involved in the Ukraine conflict." The Russian soldiers remain there primarily to guard the ammunition depot, left behind as the Soviet army withdrew from Europe at the end of World War II, and to protect a polluting steel foundry that belches smoke over the area. Like many Ukrainians, Khorenjenko worries that Russia will annex Transnistria the way it did the Crimea or the Donbas regions. The building hit by explosions was empty because it was a public holiday, although Transnistrian media reported that some windows in surrounding homes were broken by the blast. That's what really worries a lot of people," said Olena Khorenjenko, 33, a Ukrainian refugee who fled to Moldova and is familiar with Transnistria. "These are our neighbors — not some faraway people." Moldovan officials said the Monday explosions were caused by grenade launchers.

It's unclear who was responsible for the attacks. In response, Moldovan President Maia Sandu convened a security council meeting. Read More.

Today the official goals of the Russian presence in Trans-Dniester are to prevent a return to conflict and protect 22,000 tons of Soviet-era military equipment in the tiny village of Cobasna. “If they changed their position, the EU could suspend the application of the deep and comprehensive free trade agreement with the region, since hypothetically such a corridor with the Russian Federation would ensure effective occupation of the territory.” They want to decrease the insecurity coming from it,” Cenusa said. The announcement came after alleged attacks on two communication towers and on a state building in the self-declared capital, Tiraspol, as well as an incident involving a military unit in the village of Parkany. It’s unclear who was responsible for the attacks. That said, Russia will continue to drive pressure on Moldova,” Vlas said. However, last week, Moldova’s Minister for Infrastructure and Regional Development Andrei Spinu said his government was looking into buying electricity from Ukraine when the contract with the Russian-owned company MoldGres expires next month. “I tend to see this as part of the disinformation campaign and information war against Moldova in this case.” Russian disinformation seeps into the country’s Russian-language media, while the country’s socialist party, which has deep ties to Moscow, held the presidency for four years until 2020, when pro-EU candidate Sandu was elected. Speaking to journalists in Washington last week, Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu acknowledged the country’s exposure to the war in Ukraine. “We’re the most fragile neighbor of Ukraine, we’re the country that is most affected by it, and we’re the country that has the fewest resources to deal with the situation and the fallout of the war,” he said. The Trans-Dniestrian military is thought to have around 4,000 active troops. It’s unclear how long the relative quiet in the breakaway region will last. But the remarks have highlighted Moldova’s precarious position.

After holding a meeting of Moldova's security council, President Maia Sandu warned that recent explosions in the country's breakaway Transnistria region, ...

An official in breakaway Transnistria blamed Kyiv for the security HQ attack on Monday, called it a “terrorist act” and accused Ukraine of “provoking a spreading of the conflict to Transnistria’s territory”, the BBC reported. She convened the meeting after two blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in breakaway Transnistria, Reuters reported. The aim of the attack was “to create pretexts for straining the security situation in the Transnistrian region, which is not controlled by the constitutional authorities”, the government office said.

Warning comes as Moldovan president blames 'pro-war forces' for explosions in separatist-controlled region.

Fears that the tiny former Soviet republic of Moldova could be sucked into the conflict in neighbouring Ukraine are mounting after several explosions in the ...

After a meeting of her security council this week, Sandu said certain unnamed “forces inside Transnistria” were in “favour of war” and were interested in destabilising the situation in the region. In 1992, the separatists fought a war with Moldova’s pro-western government, which ended in hundreds of deaths and the intervention of the Russian army on the rebels’ side. The mysterious blasts, which targeted the state security ministry, a radio tower and military unit, happened days after a senior Russian commander claimed Russian speakers in Moldova were being oppressed – the same argument used by Russia to justify its invasion of Ukraine.

Moldova has raised its terror threat warning to highest level after several explosions in recent days.

He accused Ukrainian leaders of provoking Russia by asking NATO to become involved in the conflict. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday the Kremlin is ‘effectively’ at war with Nato for supplying weapons to Ukraine. Mr Lavrov said weapons supplied by Western countries "will be a legitimate target", adding that Russian forces had already hit weapons warehouses in western Ukraine.

The blasts in Transnistria on three consecutive days have led to concerns that Russia's war could be extended.

Prior to the most recent incident, the breakaway state’s security council also said there had been a total of three incidents in the region, including damage to a military unit in the village of Parcani yesterday. It comes just a day after several explosions believed to be caused by rocket-propelled grenades were reported to have hit the Ministry of State Security in the city of Tiraspol, the region’s capital. Police in the separatist region say two explosions a radio facility close to the Ukrainian border, knocking two powerful antennas out of service for Russian radio shows. The interior ministry said that it is believed to be the largest ammunition depot in Europe. Today, the interior ministry of separatist Transnistria said on its website: ‘Last night, several drones were noticed in the sky over the village of Kolbasna. The interior ministry of Transnistria, a Moscow-backed separatist area bordering Ukraine, said earlier today that shots were fired at a village housing a Russian arms depot.

Ukraine accused Moscow on Tuesday (26 April) of trying to drag Moldova's breakaway region of Transnistria into its war on Kyiv after authorities in the ...

“I assume that those who organised this attack have the purpose of dragging Transnistria into the conflict.” Ukraine “condemns the desperate attempts to draw the Transnistrian region of Moldova into the full-scale war against Ukraine,” the foreign ministry said earlier. Ukraine accused Moscow on Tuesday (26 April) of trying to drag Moldova’s breakaway region of Transnistria into its war on Kyiv after authorities in the Moscow-backed region said they had been targeted by a series of attacks.

Moldova's pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestria said on Wednesday that shots were fired from Ukraine towards a village that houses an ammunition ...

Kyiv blamed Moscow for masterminding the attacks that included explosions that damaged two radio masts. The Moscow-backed region said it had been targeted by a series of attacks and accused Ukraine of involvement. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Moldova has repeatedly called on Russia to observe a pledge made at an OSCE summit in 1999 to evacuate both the ammunition depot and the troops that guard it.

"There was a hope that the case will be reviewed and sent for a new investigation. The 40 Russian diplomats expelled three weeks ago "did not spend a day in diplomatic service during their stay in Germany," she said in a statement. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. During the meeting, Guterres criticized Russia’s military action in Ukraine as a flagrant violation of its neighbor’s territorial integrity. Separately, Transdniester's Security Council reported a "terrorist attack" on a military unit near the city of Tiraspol, without elaborating. “Chisinau continues to insist on a peaceful settlement of the Transdniester conflict.” It added it has the right to pursue damages over breach of contract. It is demanding financial compensation for the damages and wants access to its channel restored. The Bulgarian Energy Ministry said that Bulgarian state-owned supplier Bulgargaz had received a similar notification. The details are to be clarified before the proposal comes up in the National Assembly next week. "This gathering reflects the galvanized world," Austin said in his opening remarks. RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the major developments on Russia's invasion, how Kyiv is fighting back, the plight of civilians, and Western reaction.