Transnistria: Next Up

[Lauren Johnson]

Russian Defense source: US intelligence developed a plan on liquidation of Transnistria

May 25, 2015

Vladimir Mukhin for Rusvesna
[URL="http://fortruss.blogspot.com/2015/05/russian-defense-source-us-intelligence.html"]
Translated by Kristina Rus[/URL]

Moscow is preparing for active defense in Transnistria

A source in the Russian Defense Ministry announced about the existence of a military plan of liquidation of Transnistria, developed by U.S. intelligence with participation of military agencies of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.

The Russian Defense Ministry is concerned about the possibility of abrupt destabilization of the conflict in the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic (PMR) and is preparing for the most adverse scenarios. With this goal the other day the Operational Group of Russian troops (OGRV), stationed in the Republic, held exercises for the protection of key military facilities.

According to the press service of the Western military district, which is controlled by OGRV, on Friday more than 100 soldiers of the group were raised by an alarm. After a 150-kilometer march to military warehouses in the village of Kolbasna, they entered into a training battle with the imaginary terrorists, who were trying to get hold of weapons and ammunition.

The military emphasized that OGRV fighters operated in conditions closest to real life battle. The personnel of the anti-terrorist units accomplished their tasks successfully: "During the exercises on elimination of supposed terrorists, special attention was paid to improving the coherence of operations of soldiers in the battle on open terrain as part of a unit and small tactical groups (pairs and triples)".

Similar scenarios are now practiced not only by the military personnel of OGRV, but also the Russian peacekeepers stationed in the conflict zone.

Such increased activity of Russian troops in Transnistria the source of "NG" in the Defense Ministry explained not only by the plans of the summer training period, but real threats that arise now in the conflict zone.

In particular, he told "NG", that he possesses information about the existence of a military plan on liquidation of Transnistria. It was allegedly developed by the US intelligence services with participation of the military agencies of Ukraine, Moldova and Romania.

A part of the plan was Kiev's decision adopted last week to denounce the agreement with Russia on transit through Ukrainian territory of the Russian military and their cargoes to Transnistria.

In addition, according to the source of "NG", in the near future Ukrainian and Romanian-Moldovan militants plan to conduct sabotage and terrorist operations aimed at capturing weapons' warehouses in PMR, which are now guarded by Russian soldiers.

At the same time on the territory on the left bank of the Dniester river large-scale provocations with murders among civilian population will begin, aimed at discrediting our peacekeepers.

These circumstances will become an excuse for the official withdrawal of Chisinau from the peacekeeping process. Moldovan authorities will seek help from the European Union and NATO. And by this time, apparently, a replacement of the Russian blue helmets will be prepared in the form of a Moldovan-Romanian peacekeeping battalion.

The Minister of Defense of Moldova, Viorel Cibotaru, officially announced about the formation of such a unit on May 23. After his meeting with Romanian counterpart Mircea Dusa it was announced that the battalion in the future will include the military personnel of Ukraine and Poland.

Lieutenant-General Yuri Netkachev, who in 1992 was the commander of the 14th army stationed in Transnistria, also does not rule out a military solution to the situation on the Dniester.

"It hurts the geopolitical interests of Moscow, and I am sure that the Russian leadership will do everything possible to defend their position in this region, and will not allow the escalation of the conflict", the expert believes.

Netkachev remembers that Chisinau in the period when he commanded the 14th army, with the support of Romanian volunteers and mercenaries already tried to conquer PMR by force.

"Did not work then and will not work now, despite the fact that Ukraine is trying to cut off the oxygen from our troops there," said Netkachev.

He agreed with the opinion of the coordinator of the office of inspector general of the Defense Ministry of the Russian Federation, Army General, Yuri Yakubov, who doesn't rule out the opportunity of supplying our peacekeepers by air, using military transport aircraft under the Ukrainian blockade.

"Of course, there is a very big problem that our planes will have to fly over Ukrainian territory. Most likely it will be in the region of Odessa. From the Black sea coast to the border with PMR there is less than 100 kilometers. It was reported that the Ukrainian military had deployed anti-aircraft missile systems S-300 there. But it seems to me that the Ukrainian air defense will unlikely decide to bring down our military planes flying to Tiraspol", said the expert.

While the situation around Transnistria is deteriorating, Romania and the U.S. began military exercises near the borders with the Odessa region of Ukraine. For these purposes a missile destroyer of naval forces of the United States, "Ross" arrived to the Black sea on May 23.





The press release of the 6th US fleet declared that the presence of "Ross" in the region is necessary for "providing security" and strengthening "cooperation in the Black Sea" for "peace and prosperity in the region."

"Ross" is equipped with "Aegis" missile defense system, and the main weapons of the destroyer are the Tomahawk cruise missiles.