ISW: By warnings, Russia is trying to discredit the information sent by Volodymyr Zelensky to Maia Sandu
Russia could create conditions for an operation under a foreign flag in the Transnistrian region, claims the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which recalled that the Russian Ministry of Defense accused Ukraine of preparing provocations in the area with the help of soldiers dressed in Russian uniforms . Thus, ISW believes, Moscow is trying to discredit the information sent by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, to Maia Sandu, such as that Russia would prepare provocations in the Republic of Moldova and Kiev's readiness to offer help in the event that Russian troops stationed illegally in the transnistrian region would threaten territorial integrity of Ukraine.
Also, the American Institute for the Study of War appreciates that the fakes released by the Russian Ministry of Defense do not indicate that Putin intends to attack the Republic of Moldova, as it does not have the military capabilities for this operation. However, these statements suggest an escalation of the Kremlin's efforts to undermine Chisinau, ISW concludes. Instead, the American organization reported that Moscow could create conditions for an operation under a foreign flag on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border. This comes after the Ukrainian military said intelligence services had spotted a Russian convoy with unmarked military equipment and personnel in uniforms similar to Ukrainian ones near the border with the Chernihiv region. We remind you that the Russian Ministry of Defense published two press releases yesterday in which they declare that a significant accumulation of personnel and military equipment of Ukrainian units is registered near the border between Ukraine and the Transnistrian region. The advisor of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Mihail Podoliak, rejected Moscow's accusations, in an exclusive interview for Radio Moldova. The Ukrainian official stated that the decision to solve the Transnistrian problem belongs only to the Moldovan side. Moreover, the adviser to the Ukrainian president also mentioned that Ukraine would not act in this way without direct consultations with the Republic of Moldova, Romania and the countries of the European Union. We remind that Chisinau did not confirm the information disseminated by Moscow. "We note that, at present, there are no direct threats to the military security of the state," reads the statement issued by the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova, which urged people to remain calm and get information from official sources. The Delegation of the Republic of Moldova in the Joint Control Commission (CUC) also came with a reaction, which announced that the situation in the Security Zone is calm, without changes compared to the previous period.
