Russia seeks to deploy 10000 troops to Transnistria and potentially undermine election, Moldovan PM Recean says
Russia aims to deploy 10,000 troops to Transnistria and install a pro-Kremlin government in Moldova to enable it, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean told the Financial Times in an interview published June 4.
'They want to consolidate their military presence in the Transnistrian region,' Recean said, adding that Russia's goal is to increase leverage not only near Ukraine's southwest but also close to NATO member Romania.
Although Russia has maintained a limited military presence in Transnistria since the 1990s, only 1,000-1,500 troops remain today.
'Currently, their forces there are almost meaningless,' Recean noted.
However, he warned that a Russia-leaning government in Chisinau could authorize a buildup, citing Moldovan intelligence estimates for the 10,000-troop target.
Recean accused Russia of meddling in Moldova's upcoming parliamentary elections through propaganda, illegal financing, and 'spending the equivalent of 1% of Moldova's GDP' on influence operations in 2024.
He said Moldovan authorities had intercepted citizens carrying large sums of Russian cash and discovered that 130,000 voters in the previous election received money from Russian sources.
'This is a huge effort to undermine Moldovan democracy,' Recean said, affirming that Moldova remains committed to becoming an EU member.'
The Kremlin has not publicly responded to these allegations.
Transnistria is a Russia-controlled breakaway region of Moldova that Moscow occupied in the early 1990s under the pretext of protecting the Russian population.
The region borders Ukraine's Odesa Oblast and is internationally recognized as part of Moldova.
Read also: Polish PM Tusk blames Russian hackers for cyberattacks ahead of presidential election
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