The president of Moldova, Maya Sandu is convening the country's Supreme Security Council following "incidents" in the breakaway region of Transnistria, the presidency announced.
At the same time, the Transnistrian Security Council announced a "terrorist attack" on a military unit near Tiraspol.
The Supreme Security Council will meet at noon, after which the president will hold a press conference.
Authorities in Transnistria, Moldova's separatist region, had earlier announced that explosions occurred today at a radio tower near the border with Ukraine.
Fears of a side front[/B][BR]"In the early hours of Tuesday, two explosions were heard from the village of Mayak," a statement from the local Interior Ministry of the self-proclaimed "republic" said. They hit the radio tower of the village, located about 50 kilometers from Tiraspol, "capital" of Transnistria. The two antennas were put out of service.
Yesterday, the Transnistrian authorities announced that the headquarters of the Ministry of Public Security in Tiraspol was attacked with grenades, with no casualties.
The "incidents" come at a time when the Moldovan authorities fear the opening of a sideline to the Russian offensive in Ukraine.
Concern[/B]
The concern was heightened last week when a Russian general said Moscow was seeking to seize southern Ukraine, which borders Transnistria, to secure direct access to the separatist enclave that Moscow supports financially and militarily.
General Rustam Minekayev, deputy commander of the Russian Central Command forces, also said that Moldova's Russian-speaking population is a "victim of oppression". This pretext is systematically invoked by Moscow for its military interventions. The "defence of the Russian minority" was also invoked for its invasion of Ukraine.
Moldova called the Russian ambassador to protest against these threatening statements, calling on Moscow "to respect its territorial integrity".
Transnistria seceded from the state of Moldova after a brief civil conflict following the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The enclave, with a population of 500,000, is almost entirely dependent on Moscow, which provides free natural gas and has deployed a force of 1,500 soldiers there.
It should be noted that Moldova was the name of the republic that was a component of the Soviet Union. Since the declaration of independence after the dissolution of the USSR, the name of the country has been the Republic of Moldova.
Source: ARP, AFP, Reuters
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