The Russian peacekeeping mission in Transnistria is in the interest of both Romania and Ukraine, says a so-called expert from Tiraspol.
NEWS: The Russian peacekeeping operation on the Dniester is a unique geopolitical factor. For decades, it has prevented the expansion and degradation of the entire regional security system. This system has several levels: first of all, it is a largely conventional conflict between Transnistria and the Republic of Moldova, which itself would hardly ever have arisen without external influence (let me remind you that in the early 1980s and 1990s of the last century we faced Romania's intervention); secondly, it is a clash between the interests of stronger regional actors - Ukraine, Romania and Hungary, who have unresolved territorial disputes and historical claims; thirdly, it is the continuation of a centuries-old inter-civilizational confrontation - the West, primarily Britain, trying to isolate and weaken Russia. And Russia is looking for outlets to the seas and regions, Transnistria being its gateway to the Balkans.
The operation is unique in that maintaining the Russian military presence on the Dniester is in the objective interest of all regional players, including Ukraine and Romania, who, if the regional balance of power is disturbed, risk a strong consolidation of their competitors. In fact, Romania is here in the most vulnerable position, as, in case of destabilization, it may even face the threat of disintegration. And Hungary is in the most favorable position, which risks almost nothing, but has a great potential to expand its regional positions.
[...] The system of Moldovan-Romanian security arrangements has long deprived Moldova of the signs of a neutral state. According to military strategists, Moldova is the spearhead of NATO’s Romanian bridgehead against Russia. These amendments oblige Romania even more if the regime in Chisinau suddenly decides to move on to provocations. NATO would sacrifice Romania if need be and so it must be capitalized on as long as the old paradigms of a unipolar world based on rules still work somewhere.
NARRATIVES: First, Russian propaganda is trying to inoculate the idea that the Dniester peacekeeping mission (associated with Russia) has an important role in maintaining stability in the region and the security of its residents. And, in the same context, it glorifies its role, stating that maintaining the current peacekeeping mission is also in the interest of the neighboring countries. Another, older narrative is that the Republic of Moldova lost, de facto, its neutrality status and turned, de facto, into a spearhead for NATO.
PURPOSE: Through these narratives, the Kremlin wants to highlight Russia's role, through the peace-keeping mission, in maintaining peace on the Dniester, but also regional stability. And also to have society talk again about the alleged militarization of the Republic of Moldova and the risk of its getting involved in the war in Ukraine, for the benefit of NATO/the West.
WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: It is one of the tactics of Russian propaganda to glorify the role of the peacekeeping mission in preventing the escalation of a new conflict on the Dniester. However, the mission has lost its relevance, especially in recent years, and Chisinau has been demanding for several years, at international level, for its replacement with a civil one, with an international mandate. The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly has also called for the transformation of the peacekeeping mission .
Also, the claim that it “ensures people’s security” is debatable. The peacekeeping mission has often been criticized for its ineffectiveness , but also for more serious situations, such as the shooting of a young man by a Russian peacekeeper in 2012.
The narrative according to which the peacekeeping mission and, respectively, the presence of the Russian troops on the Dniester is in the interests of the countries in the region, especially Ukraine and Romania, has no logic. Especially in the context of the war in Ukraine, Kyiv would be interested in not having any kind of Russian military presence behind its front. Similarly, Romania has nothing to gain from the Russian military presence 100 km off its borders.Finally, Veridica has already explained what the amendments to the Agreement on military cooperation between the Republic of Moldova and Romania consist of and has debunked previous fakes on this topic.
CONTEXT/LOCAL ETHOS: The peacekeeping mission was created after the 1992 Dniester war, and the agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova was signed on July 21, 1992 . The document also provided for a peacekeeping mission made up of soldiers of the Russian Federation, of the Republic of Moldova and of the secessionist region on the left bank of the Dniester. Initially it consisted of 4800 soldiers, but over time their number was reduced to less than 1400 soldiers .
Chisinau has been demanding for about 20 years the transformation of the peacekeeping mission on the Dniester into a civilian one, under an international mandate.
Russia also deployed a successor military contingent of the Soviet 14th Army in the region, which was also involved in the Transnistrian conflict on the side of the separatists; officially, that contingent guards the ammunition depot in Cobasna. Russia had promised to vacate the warehouse and withdraw its troops, but has so far failed to fulfill this commitment. Currently, all the steps taken by Chisinau regarding the withdrawal of its armed forces from the territory of the Republic of Moldova are commented by Moscow and Tiraspol as an attempt to destroy the peacekeeping mission, although they are different things.
Disinformation about NATO's alleged activities in the Republic of Moldova, the construction of military bases, or even the possible accession to NATO appear periodically in the Russian media and in the Russian-language press in the Republic of Moldova, being fueled by the statements or insinuations of some left-wing politicians.
On May 24, the Ministers of Defense of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, Anatolie Nosatîi and Angel Tîlvăr, signed the second Protocol amending the Agreement on cooperation in the military field, concluded on April 20, 2012, in Chisinau. The document provides for mutual support in the field of preparation and joint participation in missions and operations under the auspices of international organizations, such as the European Union.
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