The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused Moldovan President Maia Sandu on Monday of preparing a plan for a military operation to take control of the separatist region of Transnistria, EFE reported, as reported by Agerpres.
According to the SVR, Maia Sandu recently had a meeting with the government’s top leadership on energy security, which ended with her words about “the need to develop a plan for an operation to take control of Transnistria and end the Russian peacekeeping presence in the region.”
“No one can guarantee that the Moldovan President will not try to start a war in the region,” the SVR statement, quoted by the official Russian news agency TASS, emphasized.
The SVR indicated that Sandu “lost her mind” after being informed that the Republic of Moldova could encounter problems with energy supplies in the context of the Russian gas transit contract to Europe through the Ukrainian gas pipeline system expiring on December 31, and Kiev refuses to extend it. President Maia Sandu, according to the SVR statement, demanded that a plan be developed to take over by force the Transnistrian thermal power plant, which operates with Russian gas and on whose supply the Republic of Moldova depends almost entirely.
The Government Spokesperson categorically denies this information.
“It is false that the authorities of the Republic of Moldova are preparing military actions in Transnistria; this is serious and dangerous disinformation, designed to sow panic and distrust. We reiterate that Chisinau remains firmly committed to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, without exception. An essential step for resolving the conflict is the complete and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops, which are illegally stationed on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Moldova,” said Daniel Vodă, the government spokesman.
According to Daniel Vodă, blaming Chisinau or Kiev for the situation in the region is also “manipulative and completely false.”
“We would like to point out that there is a clear contract between Moldovagaz and Gazprom, which provides for the delivery of natural gas on the left bank, regardless of the transit route. The current problems stem from Gazprom’s refusal to comply with its contractual obligations, not from the actions of the Moldovan government. The government is working intensively on solutions to support citizens affected by the crisis, regardless of the region. All people in the Republic of Moldova are our citizens and will be supported in these difficult times,” concluded Daniel Vodă.
The presidency has not yet commented on this information from the Russian special services, but, during the press conference last Thursday, said that the authorities in Chisinau have the necessary will to resolve the Transnistrian conflict “as quickly as possible”, but “the basic condition is a peaceful resolution and with respect for the territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova”.
“Reunification can be done when the Russian army leaves the territory of the Republic of Moldova. So, a primary condition for initiating the reunification process is the demilitarization and withdrawal of the army of the Russian Federation. As long as we have this army on the territory, reunification remains only a theoretical solution”, declared Maia Sandu.