Russia Claims Ukraine Deploying Forces Near Moldova Border for Provocations

MOSCOW, June 18. /TASS/. Ukraine continues to deploy special forces units and equipment to the Moldovan border where acts of provocation could be staged against Russian troops and peacekeepers stationed in Transnistria, a Russian security official told TASS.

"Moldova remains a region where the Kiev regime may provoke hostilities amid the continued deployment of Ukrainian special forces units and military equipment," he said.

Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the combat zone on July 29, 1992, in accordance with the Agreement on the Principles for a Peaceful Settlement of the Armed Conflict in the Dniester Region of the Republic of Moldova that the presidents of Russia and Moldova had signed in the presence of the leader of Transnistria on July 21, 1992. The Operational Group of Russian Forces, also stationed in the region, numbers approximately 1,000 soldiers and officers. It is tasked with both supporting the peacekeeping operation and guarding warehouses housing over 20,000 tons of ammunition, brought there after the withdrawal of Soviet troops from European countries. The Operational Group also supports the peacekeepers, who have been effectively blockaded since 2015, after Ukraine blocked their supply routes through its territory. The rotation of the group’s personnel has also been hindered by Moldova, which is pushing for their withdrawal.