The president of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is the target of attacks launched by the Kremlin regarding the escalation of the conflict in Transnistria. After she reiterated Chisinau’s stand on the withdrawal of the Russian troops illegally stationed in the Republic of Moldova since the Dniester War of 1992, high-ranking officials in Moscow have accused her of destabilizing the situation in the region. The article also resumes the narrative according to which Maia Sandu was brought to power by the West.
“In the RAND Corporation Report, Transnistria is described as a ‘hot spot’.
KP.md carries an interview with the Russian military expert Alexei Lenkov about the conflicts that might break out again in 2021. Talking about the Transnistrian conflict, the KP journalist says that “Maia Sandu reopens old wounds, talking about the need to remove the Russian peacekeepers from Transnistria”. Also, the Russian expert claims that she came to power “because of the Western technologies and she won the presidential elections thanks to those who voted in Europe”. He also says the topic was discussed at NATO, when Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia, in 2019, to leave Transnistria”. The expert refers to the December 2019 Rand Corporation report, which, he says, would indicate, among other things, upcoming "military aid to Ukraine, support for Syrian fighters, participation in the liberalization of Belarus, the South Caucasus, diminishing Russian influence in Central Asia, a coup in Transnistria”. “Some 14% voted for Sandu. This was not the case before. Obviously, we will not abandon the peacekeeping forces there. But it’s obvious that this will only happen when, instead of words, weapons will speak. Before that there will be pressure and, possibly, challenges on the territory of Transnistria. There are also huge army depots. Sandu has already voiced proposals coming from the West: to eliminate them. They are throwing a bone, for us to catch and wag the tail. It’s quite obvious that such proposals come not out of humane considerations, but in order to exclude one of the arguments and say: you will eliminate them, or something will happen. The Rand Corporation plans, called ‘a coup in Transnistria’, have been written for a reason”, the Russian expert says. NARRATIVES: 1. Maia Sandu escalates the Transnistrian conflict with support from and directed by the USA. 2. The American plans for Transnistria have been prepared by the RAND Corporation. 3. In the Transnistrian region, the Russian troops ensure peace, and Maia Sandu wants to take them out. 4. There are no illegal Russian forces in the Transnistrian region, only peacekeepers. 5. Maia Sandu takes us away from resolving the Transnistrian conflict. 6. Maia Sandu was brought to power by the West. 7. Maia Sandu won the elections due to the votes cast abroad - the parallel electorate. CONTEXT: With the dissolution of the USSR in 1991 and the withdrawal of Soviet armed forces from Eastern Europe, much of the ammunition and troops of the 14th Army were placed in the Transnistrian region of Moldova. They were used during the 1992 Moldovan-Russian war on the Dniester, triggered and supported by Moscow. The arms depots have not been evacuated till this very day, despite Russia's international commitments, and are guarded by Russian troops. At the same time, after the conclusion of the 1992 Moldovan-Russian Ceasefire Agreement, in addition to the Russian peacekeeping mission in the security zone, about 700 soldiers from the Operational Group of Russian Forces are illegally stationed in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova, which regularly conduct military exercises together with the Transnistrian separatist forces. The authorities of the Republic of Moldova have constantly demanded their withdrawal, along with Russian ammunition stored in the depos on the left bank of the Dniester, in accordance with the commitments made by the Russian Federation (Istanbul Summit 1999). The latest request was expressed by the Moldovan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aureliu Ciocoi, at the online meeting of the Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, on December 4, 2020. PURPOSE: To distort the message regarding the withdrawal of illegal Russian troops from the territory of the Republic of Moldova and create confusion between the Russian peacekeepers and those of the Operational Group of Russian Forces stationed illegally in the region. To blackmail the new administration in Chisinau with the escalation of the Transnistrian conflict. To accuse President Maia Sandu of a potential destabilization in the region. To create panic and insecurity after the election of Maia Sandu as head of state. WHY THE NARRATIVES ARE FALSE: The statements of President Maia Sandu, as well as those of the NATO Secretary General, refer to the Russian troops (OGRF) who are stationed illegally on the left bank of the Dniester, in addition to those in the peacekeeping mission. The withdrawal of illegally stationed troops and Russian ammunition from the Republic of Moldova and the replacement of the Russian peacekeeping mission with a civilian one with an international mandate is the official position expressed by Chisinau for several years. The chain reactions of Russian officials to these statements made by Maya Sandu - Russian MFA spokeswoman Maria Zaharova, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, including President Vladimir Putin, at the latest annual conference, deliberately distort the message expressed by the president, who reiterated Chisinau’s official stand. The Russian officials’ statements distort the message conveyed by Maia Sandu, who did not refer to the withdrawal of the peacekeeping mission. RAND corporation, an American think tank specializing in research and analysis and funded from public and private sources, is the subject of a conspiracy theory, debunked here, according to which it is allegedly "more dangerous than the CIA" and "develops the most aggressive American expansionist plans."
GRAIN OF TRUTH: After she was elected president, Maia Sandu spoke about the need to withdraw Russian troops and ammunition from the territory of the Republic of Moldova. RAND Corporation has published a study, “Extending Russia. Competing from Advantageous Ground” about the competition with Russia, in which the situation of Transnistria is also analyzed, and methods are reviewed through which this separatist region of the Republic of Moldova could be removed from the orbit of the Republic of Moldova.
