Traffic light politician on Transnistria: “An old pattern is in danger of repeating itself”

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Vadim Krasnoselsky, President of the self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria, at a congress: asked Moscow for “protection”.

Photo: Artem Kulekin / SNA / IMAGO

Foreign policymakers from the traffic light coalition express great concern about developments in the breakaway region of Transnistria.

Russian separatists there asked Moscow for “protection” on Wednesday.

They cited an “economic blockade” by the Republic of Moldova as the reason.

Experts see this as the possible start of an escalating conflict in which Russian President Vladimir Putin could get involved.

»Transnistria's request for protection from Russia comes from a well-known script from the Kremlin.

Whether Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Crimea, Donbass or now possibly Transnistria: Each time it was so-called 'cries for help' from the breakaway regions that prompted Moscow to intervene militarily and, often, to annex the respective regions," said Nils Schmid, foreign policy spokesman SPD parliamentary group, SPIEGEL.

“It is all the more important to continue to consistently help Ukraine in its defensive fight against the Russian occupier and to support the Republic of Moldova on its way to the EU.”

Accused of planning a coup

The self-proclaimed Republic of Transnistria is a narrow strip of land on the border with Ukraine that has actually broken away from the Republic of Moldova since 1990 and has its own government and administration.

Russian troops have also been stationed there since 1992.

Under international law, the region in which Ukrainians, Russians and Moldovans live belongs to Moldova; its independence has never been recognized internationally.

Moldova is led by a pro-European government.

President Maia Sandu has repeatedly accused Russia of planning a coup.

Green Party leader Omid Nouripour also warns of an escalation in the region.

"An old pattern is threatening to repeat itself, in which Russia's smaller neighboring countries, which have opted for freedom and democracy and made their way into the EU, are becoming the target of the Kremlin's aggression," Nouripour told SPIEGEL.

"This shows once again that we in Germany, the EU and NATO must stand resolutely and unitedly at the side of our partners and against Russia's aggression - in Moldova as well as in neighboring Ukraine."

Moldova is one of the countries that submitted an application to join the European Union after the Russian attack on Ukraine in spring 2022.

At the end of 2023, the EU cleared the way for the start of accession negotiations.