Tensions have mounted between Moldova’s pro-Western government and the Russian-administered enclave of Transdniestria following an alleged drone attack in Tiraspol, Transdniestria’s regional capital.
Straddling the lower reaches of the Dniester River, Transdniestria has been administered by Moscow since the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
Only 1,600 square miles in size, the enclave is home to some 250,000 Russian nationals—and an estimated 1,500 Russian troops—despite being internationally recognized as part of Moldova.
Relations between Transdniestria and Chisinau, Moldova’s capital, have long been characterized by mutual hostility and suspicion.
Earlier this week, Transdniestrian authorities claimed that an aerial drone had struck an airfield in Tiraspol, which sits only six miles west of the border with Ukraine.
Along with causing a fire, the alleged attack destroyed a disused military helicopter, according to local officials.
“On March 17, an unidentified individual used an FPV [first-person view] drone to attack an Mi-8 helicopter at a military airfield,” Transdniestria’s government said in a statement.
It noted that a probe had since been launched to determine whether the incident was an act of intentional “sabotage.”
No casualties were reported in connection with the alleged attack, according to purported video footage of the incident, which was broadcast on a local television channel.
Moldovan officials, for their part, dismissed Tiraspol’s claims as an attempt to sow confusion.
“Having studied the video ... we believe the incident is an attempt to create panic in the region,” Moldova’s government said in a statement.
Responding to claims that the alleged attack had originated in next-door Ukraine, it stated that “Moldovan authorities that are in contact with the Ukrainian side do not confirm any attacks [from Ukraine] on Transnistria.”
In remarks to Ukrainian media, Andriy Yusov, a spokesman for Kyiv’s Intelligence Directorate, called the incident a “Russian provocation.”
Moscow has refrained from commenting on the incident, which allegedly occurred during the three-day presidential polling that resulted in the reelection of longstanding leader Vladimir Putin.
Post-Soviet Friction
The incident was hardly the first sign of friction between Chisinau and Transdniestria, which has long been viewed as a potential flashpoint for conflict.Transdniestria is internationally recognized as part of Moldova, which is currently led by a fiercely pro-Western government and remains on track to join the European Union.
Further complicating the situation, the Moscow-run enclave shares a 280-mile border with Ukraine, which Russia invaded from the east two years ago.
In the event that Russian forces advance further along Ukraine’s southern coast, some observers believe that they could eventually link up with Russia’s sizable garrison in Transdniestria.
What’s more, the enclave is home to several massive arms depots that reportedly contain vast amounts of Soviet-era munitions.
In 2022, the Transdniestrian authorities claimed that a State Security building and a communications hub had been attacked by Ukrainian saboteurs.
They later alleged that two airfields and a weapons depot had also come under attack.
At the time, Vadim Krasnoselsky, Transdniestria’s Moscow-aligned leader, accused both Ukraine and Moldova of involvement in the alleged acts of sabotage.
Kyiv and Chisinau, for their part, both rejected the allegations as groundless.
In February, Transdniestria’s leadership formally asked Moscow to implement measures for defending the enclave amid “increasing pressure from Moldova.”
Russia’s Foreign Ministry responded by saying that the protection of Transdniestria and its people “remains one of our top priorities.”
Days later, a ranking official in Russia’s military mission to the enclave claimed that there were signs that Moldova was on the brink of mobilizing its armed forces.
“This cannot but cause us concern,” he told Russia’s TASS news agency. “We saw something like this back in 1992.”
In that year, war erupted between newly independent Moldova—a former Soviet republic—and pro-Russian separatists in the country’s east.
The conflict, in which hundreds were killed, led to the emergence of Russian-administered Transdniestria, which has kept an uneasy peace with Moldova ever since.
In a 2006 referendum, more than 95 percent of Transdniestrian voters reportedly cast ballots in favor of the enclave joining the Russian Federation.
However, the vote was never internationally recognized, with Washington calling it a “provocative referendum” that “cannot be taken seriously.”
Diplomat Expelled
On March 19, Moldova expelled a member of Russia’s embassy staff after Russian nationals in Transdniestria took part in the recent election won by Mr. Putin.Moldovan President Maia Sandu said the move by Russia, which opened six polling stations in the enclave, had shown a “lack of respect for Moldova’s sovereignty.”
Oleg Vasnetsov, Russia’s ambassador to Moldova, described the expulsion as “yet another unfriendly step by the Moldovan authorities.”
“This move will negatively affect the state of Russian–Moldovan relations and will not go without a response,” he told TASS.
In the summer of 2023, Chisinau expelled 45 Russian embassy employees amid claims that the embassy was involved in spying activities.
