Moldova’s Russian-run Transnistria has reported a drone attack on one of its military units located in the regional capital city of Tiraspol. According to initial reports, the attack resulted in a fire breaking out within the military facility, causing significant damage to a Russian-made Mi-8 military helicopter, while photos show it completely destroyed.
The incident was first reported by the Transnistrian “state-run” TV channel “Pervy Pridnestrovsky,” which disseminated photographs from the scene:
“It is preliminarily determined that the explosion was the result of a kamikaze drone attack, which was recorded flying from the Clover Bridge. There were no casualties. Law enforcement agencies are working. A criminal case has been opened,” the TV channel wrote on its Telegram channel.
Russia’s media outlet RIA Novosti, citing the so-called Ministry of State Security of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (PMR), reported the same as the Pervyi Pridnestrovsky – that a military unit in Transnistria was attacked by a kamikaze drone, there was an explosion and fire, with no casualties.
Later a CCTV video emerged on multiple Telegram channels, allegedly showing the attack:
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1769390189342781757
Earlier, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned that Russia could intensify hybrid operations to destabilize Moldova.
Update:
Moldova: no confirmation of an attack on Transnistrian region
Following the incident, Moldova’s Reintegration Bureau commented on reports of a drone explosion in a military unit in Tiraspol., saying that it did not confirm the attack, calling it “an attempt to provoke fear and panic in the region,” according to NewsMaker.
The bureau also noted that it had contacted other agencies and studied photos and videos from the scene of the incident in Tiraspol.
“After studying the videos and exchanging information, we report that this incident is an attempt to provoke fear and panic in the region. The military equipment shown in the footage has not been in operation for several years,” Moldova’s Reintegration Bureau said.
The Bureau noted that the Moldovan authorities in contact with the Ukrainian side do not confirm any attack on the Transnistrian region.
Ukraine: it’s a Russian provocation
A representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Andrii Yusov, said in a commentary to Suspilne that the drone attack on a military unit in Transnistria was a “Russian provocation.”
Read also:
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- Moldova’s president signs defense agreement with France, warns of Russian threat
- ISW warns of escalating Russian hybrid operations in Moldova ahead of EU accession talks
- Military: Russian troops stationed in Modova’s Transnistria pose no threat
- Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region seeks Russian protection with claims of economic blockade
