Russian troops illegally stationed in Transnistria, alongside soldiers from the Operative Group of Russian Troops (GOTR), recently conducted a provocative military exercise in the Security Zone on the banks of the Dniester River, near the city of Tiraspol.
The action, reminiscent of the Iași-Chișinău operation during World War II, involved approximately 16 units of military equipment, including 13 artillery pieces, blank ammunition, and pyrotechnic materials, as reported by deschide.md, which also posted images of the military action.
This provocative event took place as President Nicușor Dan was on an official visit to Chișinău on Tuesday, from where he departed to Odesa on Wednesday.
The authorities in Chișinău strongly condemned these maneuvers, considering them a challenge to the special regime established in the Security Zone and a direct threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Moldova.
"These unilateral military actions undermine the peacekeeping mission on the Dniester," stated the Policy Bureau for Reintegration of Moldova.
Moreover, the Moldovan delegation to the Joint Control Commission (JCC) requested the deployment of military observers to the scene for documentation, but this request was blocked by representatives of the military structures representing Tiraspol and the Russian Federation.
Currently, the Operative Group of Russian Troops (GOTR) in the region consists of between 1,000 and 1,500 soldiers.
The military exercises carried out in Transnistria represent a serious challenge to regional stability and Romania's national security.
For Romania, a key member state on NATO's eastern flank, simulating this national defeat by Russian troops, right on its border, is a historic act of intimidation. It is the first time that Tiraspol and Moscow have targeted a NATO member state so directly and symbolically, as reported by Defence Romania.