Latest news with #Russia-leaning
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
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 We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Moldovan PM: Russia wants pro-Kremlin government in Chișinău and 10,000 troops in Transnistria
Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean has stated that Russia seeks to deploy 10,000 troops in the separatist Transnistria region of Moldova and to establish a pro-Kremlin government in Chișinău. Source: Recean in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda Details: The prime minister said Russia is interfering in Moldova's parliamentary elections, scheduled for the end of September 2025, hoping that the future government will be more sympathetic to Moscow and will allow a larger Russian military presence in Transnistria. "This is a huge effort to undermine Moldovan democracy… They want to consolidate their military presence in the Transnistrian region," Recean said. He stated that the estimate of 10,000 troops that Russia could deploy in Transnistria is based on intelligence from Moldovan security services. "Currently, their forces there are almost meaningless. But with a higher military presence in Transnistria that a Russia-leaning government can allow for, they can consolidate," Recean warned. "You can imagine with 10,000 troops, what the leverage and pressure would be on the southwestern part of Ukraine. But also close to Romania, which is a NATO member state," the Moldovan prime minister added. Background: Estimates suggest there are currently about 1,500 troops sporting the Russian flag in Transnistria, most of whom are local residents. Moldova consistently maintains that the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria is illegal and Chișinău expects their unconditional withdrawal. Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Zelensky sanctions former Ukrainian President Porosenko, others
Feb. 13 (UPI) -- President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday signed off on sanctions against former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and other prominent Russia-leaning officials. Zelensky signed the sanctions against Poroshenko, who was sanctioned on suspicion of "high treason" and assisting a terrorist organization, after approval from his National Security and Defense Council. Sanctions were also imposed against some of the wealthiest men in Ukraine, including Ihor Kolomoisky, Konstanin Zhevago, and Hennadiy Boholyubov, the former co-owner of PrivateBank. Another former Russian-leaning lawmaker, Viktor Medvedchuk, was also sanctioned on accusations of treason. Kolomoisky already faces fraud and money laundering accusations in Ukraine, while Boholyubov is accused of embezzlement. Zhevago, a billionaire and former lawmaker, is blamed for actions that led to the collapse of Finance and Credit Bank in 2015. Poroshenko, who has called the charges against him a "politically motivated" witch hunt, said Zelensky was causing divisions within Ukraine with the sanctions. "Today, Zelensky has dealt a huge blow to the internal unity that our team has been strictly adhering to since February 2022 and which is our main weapon in the fight against the aggressor," Poroshenko said. Poroshenko, who has shared in 19 companies, was facing multiple investigations on criminal wrongdoing but those trials were put on hold during Russia's invasion. He is a member of Ukraine's European Solidarity Party.
