Russia does not currently have sufficient resources to launch an attack against Ukraine from Transnistria, as reported by European Pravda, citing Mircea Geoană, Deputy Secretary General of NATO, speaking at a panel discussion on the opening of the Munich Security Conference (MSC).
“Today, Russia does not have forces to get to Transnistria and to encircle Ukraine from the back, which is still the plan; then to take [the Ukrainian city of – ed.] Odesa, and then to have a territorial land corridor to the Western Transnistria. We don’t see Russia having enough forces to be doing that,” stated Mircea Geoană.
With this admission, he acknowledged that Russia is attempting to undermine democracy in Moldova.
However, according to Geoană, “what they are trying to do is to discourage the pro-Western direction of the Republic of Moldova. They try to work on the divisions that do exist in the population of that country. They are trying to undermine Maia Sandu’s superb leadership.”
According to Geoană, Russia has neither the capability nor the intent to launch a war against NATO.
“They [Russians – ed.] have enough trouble in Ukraine, and we have to help Ukraine, giving them even more trouble. What I’m saying is, we also [should be – ed.] very cautious in avoiding the risk of escalation,” the Deputy Secretary General of NATO emphasized.
It is important to remind that earlier, on 13 February, the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu, confirmed that the Ukrainian side disclosed to Moldova the Kremlin’s plans to destabilize the situation in Moldova and revealed that forceful actions involving saboteurs from Russia, Belarus, and the Balkans were being planned.
Zelenskyy says he warned Sandu about Russia’s plan to destabilize Moldova (updated)
At the EU Summit on 9 February, Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence had intercepted Kremlin plans to take over Moldova, and he immediately passed on the information to Maia Sandu.
Read also:
Russo-Ukrainian war should doom the “5+2” negotiations on Moldova’s Transnistria
“Very high” risk of Russian invasion in 2023 – Moldova’s Head of ISS
