Moldova

Moldova held an urgent security meeting on Tuesday and the Kremlin voiced serious concerns after two blasts damaged Soviet-era radio masts in the breakaway ...

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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.

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.

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.

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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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.

Russia pounded Eastern and southern Ukraine on Tuesday as the United States promised to "keep moving heaven and earth" to get Kyiv the weapons it needs to ...

It has been under the control of separatist authorities since a 1992 war with Moldova. The plant is the last known stronghold of Ukrainian fighters in the city. Together, allied nations have rushed roughly $5 billion worth of military equipment to Ukraine since the invasion began on Feb. 24. When asked about the number on Tuesday at Ramstein, Anand hinted more howitzers might become part of the package. "Russia has drastically intensified strikes over the past 24 hours and is using heavy bunker bombs," said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor. About 1,500 Russian troops are based in Transnistria, a long, narrow strip of land with about 470,000 people along the Ukrainian border. In the gutted southern port city of Mariupol, authorities said Russian forces hit the Azovstal steel plant with 35 airstrikes over the past 24 hours. Up until now, Moscow has spared strategic bridges, perhaps in hopes of keeping them for its own use in seizing Ukraine. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the UN said they agreed in principle that the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross should be involved in the evacuation of civilians trapped in the steel plant in Mariupol. Beyond Mariupol, local officials said at least nine people were killed and several more wounded in Russian attacks on towns and cities in Eastern and southern Ukraine. Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of the Donetsk region of the Donbas, said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian forces "continue to deliberately fire at civilians and to destroy critical infrastructure." In the south, Ukrainian forces struck back in the Kherson region, while Oleksandr Kamyshin, head of the state-run Ukrainian Railways, said there were no injuries in the Russian attack on the railroad bridge in the Odesa region. The attack on the bridge — along with a series of strikes on key railroad stations a day earlier — appears to mark a major shift in Russia's approach.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sandu discussed recent incidents of concern for peace and security in Moldova and the devastating impacts of Russia's ...

President Sandu underscored that Moldova would keep doing everything in its power to help all Ukrainians, especially during these distressing times. Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated that Ukrainian and Moldovan security are European security, and the security of all democratic states seeking to uphold fundamental principles of international law and state sovereignty. Prime Minister Trudeau and President Sandu discussed recent incidents of concern for peace and security in Moldova and the devastating impacts of Russia’s illegal and unjustifiable invasion of Ukraine, particularly for refugees fleeing their homes to seek safety in Moldova. Prime Minister Trudeau expressed thanks and admiration for President Sandu’s strong personal leadership and for the resilience and support of the Moldovan people through this ongoing crisis in welcoming so many Ukrainians in need of safety, shelter, and humanitarian assistance.

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

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

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.