The situation in the Vltava seems to be escalating further. Pro-Russian separatists in the breakaway region of Transnistria say they foiled an assassination attempt on their leader by a Ukrainian agent.
Tiraspol is the capital of breakaway region of Transnistria, which de jure belongs to the Republic of Moldova
In the Republic of Moldova, the situation is coming to a head. The pro-Russian forces in the separatist region of Transnistria reported on Thursday (March 9, 2023) that a terrorist attack on their leader Vadim Krasnoselski had been foiled. A Transnistrian-born Ukrainian agent attempted to blow up the politician's car near a school in central Tiraspol, the capital of the breakaway region. It was said that the target of the attack was not only Krasnoselski himself, but also part of the civilian population – especially children.
The pro-European government in the Moldovan capital Chisinau dismissed the claims as fabricated. Ukraine spoke of a “provocation by the Kremlin” to create panic in Transnistria. Only at the end of February did the Russian Defense Ministry and the Foreign Ministry spread fake news about the preparations for an armed provocation by the Ukrainian army against Transnistria. The information turned out to be completely false.
A “confession” and other details
On Thursday morning (03/09/2023) the so-called Transnistrian security structures published a video with a man who was born in Tiraspol in 1979 and who admitted to having been ordered by the Ukrainian secret service to carry out the assassination. He was threatened with death if he didn't complete the assignment.
A statement by the authorities in Transnistria said the plan for the terrorist attack was developed by the Ukrainian special services. The attacker was then supposed to hide in Moldova and would have had the mission to return to Tiraspol to liquidate more members of the Transnistrian political leadership. The children of the targeted politicians were also closely observed. A “documentary film” was broadcast on Transnistrian television on Thursday evening with details and testimonies of those arrested in connection with this case.
Following the film about the allegedly foiled terrorist attack, Krasnoselski gave a six-minute speech in which he called on the population to remain calm. He also appealed to his fellow citizens not to hate the Ukrainian refugees in Transnistria, although – as he explained – some of the alleged attackers had posed as refugees. Krasnoselski also announced that the UN Security Council, the OSCE and the partners from the “5+2” negotiation format would be informed about the incident.
Chisinau and Kiev reject the information as fabricated
The government of the Republic of Moldova reacted calmly to the information from the breakaway region of Transnistria. There is no confirmation in connection with the alleged attack on the left bank of the Dniester River, Prime Minister Dorin Recean said in a first statement: “There is no risk of escalation. It is important that Moldova is in a stable situation of peace and stability in the region.” The government in Chisinau will face up to all existing challenges.
Dorin Recean, former security adviser in the presidential office, is new head of government in Chisinau since mid-February
Kiev firmly rejected the allegations from Tiraspol and warned of a “Kremlin scenario”: “Russia will not stop trying to destabilize the situation in Moldova,” said Mykhaylo Podolyak, adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The aim is to “intimidate the population” through propaganda. As ridiculous as the “information about Ukrainian terrorist attacks” may be, the conclusion is obvious: “The local population is to be intimidated by threats of hostilities and Ukraine is to be negatively portrayed as a potential source of danger,” Podoliak said.
Also on Thursday morning, the press in the Moldovan capital Chisinau broke alarming news about the violation of Moldova's airspace by several Russian cruise missiles. These were fired from the Black Sea and were aimed at targets in Ukraine. The panic was compounded on social media, which reported that the rockets had been sighted over the town of Briceni. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Moldova denied this information and urged citizens to obtain information from official sources.
During a political talk show on the Moldovan information channel Jurnal TV, Defense Minister Anatoly Nosatai stated that local experts and external partners had confirmed this that the news spread was wrong. According to Nosatai, disinformation is an element of the hybrid war that Russia is waging against Moldova. Attempts are constantly being made to destabilize the situation through disinformation and fake news, to discredit the Moldovan leadership and to create tensions in society. “It's about forces from here and from outside,” warned the defense minister, trying to reassure his compatriots: “There is no immediate danger of a military confrontation, of military aggression. But we see the side effects of the war in Ukraine.” And they take this very seriously in Chisinau.