Russia has denounced a recent drone attack on a military facility in Moldova’s breakaway Transdniestria region as a provocative act and called for a thorough investigation into the incident. The attack, carried out by a kamikaze drone, targeted a facility belonging to the separatist authority’s defense ministry near the border with Ukraine, according to Transdniestria’s security ministry.
In response, Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, labeled the incident as another attempt to escalate tensions surrounding Transdniestria. She emphasized the need for a comprehensive investigation to uncover the perpetrators and their motives.
This attack comes amid lingering concerns over Russia’s intentions in the region, especially following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. There were fears that Moscow might extend its military reach to Transdniestria, which has a pro-Russian separatist movement. While the nearest front lines are located around 200 kilometers away from eastern Moldova, the incident underscores the ongoing instability in the area.
Notably, this is not the first such attack in Transdniestria, with a similar drone strike reported just weeks earlier. Moldova, which lacks access to the separatist-controlled area, is closely monitoring the situation and suspects the attack could be a deliberate attempt to spread panic and draw international attention to the enclave.
As tensions persist in the region, Moldova, along with international observers, awaits the outcome of the investigation to shed light on the circumstances surrounding the drone attack and prevent further escalation of the situation.