It is true that Putin now also wants Transnistria, that strip of Moldova on the western border of Ukraine? And to do what?
That this is true was confirmed by Rustam Minnekayev, interim commander of the Russian Central Military District, who recalled a few days ago that "control over southern Ukraine is another way of accessing Transnistria, where episodes of discrimination against Russian-speaking residents”. Statement he obviously has alarmed Moldova which considers the region an integral part of its territory, forcing the President of the country, Maia Sandu, to call the Russian ambassador back to the capital Chisinau to ask for explanations. As for the Putin's interests towards the region they are of two types, geopolitical and economic.
Transnistria: the two reasons behind Putin's interest
To understand the former, it is sufficient to look at a map: with Transnistria the Russian cordon sanitaire around Ukraine would be completed. In the East, the border is sealed by acquiring the Donbass; to the south Kiev is expelled from the Black and Azov seas, thus having the Mediterranean within fleet reach; in the West you protect yourself by incorporating Transnistria.
"Special military operation" successfully completed: Kiev is mutilated and isolated, Moscow is protected from any liberal wind blowing from the West. Bingo.
Also from an economic point of view for Moscow the annexation of Transnistria would be an opportunity.
More or less as large as Abruzzo, with less than 500 inhabitants, this region is the most industrialized part of Moldova, with an enterprise system inherited from the Soviet Union that is still interesting, albeit old and polluting.
For example, they are part of this heritage power stations that supply electricity to all of Moldavia and the munitions factory of Tighina (also known as Bender) which at the time of the Soviet Union was the most important arsenal and depot of war material in Europe, and the steel factory of Ribnita, which alone still today it employs half of the inhabitants. Out of curiosity, we also mention the liquor distillation factory, Kvint, a historic brand (it was founded in 1897) so popular that it ended up on a coin. And especially the Sheriff, a holding company which includes, among other things, a chain of supermarkets and petrol stations, a publishing house, a distillery, a casino, a television channel and an advertising agency. The Sheriff belongs to Vladimir Smirnov, the eldest son of Prime Minister Igor Smirnov.
The history of Transnistria and the links with Russia
From a military point of view, the Transnistria affair would also be easy to regulate, given that for over 30 years Russian troops are guarding the secessionist region moldavian. In 1992, the most beloved of the generals of the nineties, Aleksandr Lebed, had brought it back under Russian influence, the only one who could have overshadowed Putin, who died in 2002, in a mysterious helicopter crash just as the new tsar began his ascent.
Lebed had become the hero of the new Russia in August 91, when he stopped the coup against Gorbachev, preventing the armored troops, under his orders, from shooting at the White House and the soldiers from arresting Yeltsin and his supporters. It was from one of those tanks that "White Crow", as Yeltsin was already called, was able to harangue the crowd and block the coup plotters.
When the new power was in place, Lebed was promoted to deputy commander-in-chief of all airborne military forces and sent to Moldova to restore order, because those from "beyond the Dniestr", according to the meaning of the name of the region, had rebelled against the central state, which in turn had already left the USSR.
In truth, when the revolt turned into civil war, his troops, the legendary 14th Army, sided with the militiamen and soon routed the Moldavian army, crystallizing a political situation that is still waiting to be resolved today.
But why had the revolt in Transnistria broken out and then the war? It went like this. Once Moldova had left the USSR, the new rulers, having a mad desire to eradicate communism and its rules, began by decreeing that Russian would no longer be the official language and that the Cyrillic characters should be banned. , returning to the Latin ones. A revolution that not everyone was pleased with. First, because the official language had allowed all the communities – Moldovan, Ukrainian and Russian – to understand each other. And also because it was clear from that decision that the Russian part of the population would become second-class.
Protest demonstrations began, especially in the eastern part, in Transnistria, where only Russian was spoken; who transformed in revolt and then in open warfare.
The "hot" conflict saw Moldova encouraged by the arms of Romania (which at that time had the dream of expanding its borders by incorporating the Moldovan "brothers" to found "Greater Romania") and the rebels supported by Lebed's Russian army.
When he finished, after about six months, with the victory of the independentists, as we know, a demilitarized zone was created between Moldova and Transnistria controlled by a peacekeeping force dominated by the Russians, because to the 335 soldiers from Moscow it was necessary to add the 490 militiamen from Transnistria, while 453 were the soldiers of the Republic of Moldova ..
To the joint control commission later the Ukrainians also joined, which soon became the barometer of the climatic situation between the contenders: if the pro-Russian side won in Kiev, Moscow's peace plans were chosen, while if instead the pro-Western governments were in favor, those of Europe and the USA were preferred. In a manner of speaking, however, because, in reality, regardless of which plan prevailed, nothing changed on the field.
Transnistria: a “de facto” state
From one stalemate to another, 30 years have passed. Today Transnistria is still a “de facto” state, in the sense that "de jure" belongs to Moldova and is not recognized by any of the member countries of the UN, but only by other secessionist entities, such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia (both in Georgia).
Furthermore, for a long time, at least starting from the mid-nineties, when the communist empire was in full implosion, the country was the nerve center of every criminal passage in Europe, the "black hole", as it was called, where all kinds of contraband flowed, from weapons to drugs, from nuclear material to trafficking in human beings. A record of the presence of the underworld that Transnistria today seems to no longer hold, although there are no certainties about it.
And back to the first question: Does Moscow really want to take over Transnistria? It's in the account. Because when Putin decided to completely shuffle the cards in central Europe, starting with the main pivot that holds up the entire scaffolding, that is, by invading Ukraine, he didn't imagine that something was going wrong and that after more than 2 months of war that building would not only it is standing, but has no intention of collapsing. If that blitz failed, now to win he needs to broaden the game, that all the pieces of the chessboard take the field. Transnistria is the last, then who knows.
