Russia plans to station 10,000 soldiers in Transnistria and install a pro-Russian government in Chisinau to strengthen its strategic position amid the war in Ukraine, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean stated in an interview with Financial Times.
The Prime Minister said Moscow continues to actively undermine Moldova’s democracy through propaganda and illicit financing of political parties. Recean explained that the Kremlin allegedly spent the equivalent of 1% of Moldova’s GDP on influence campaigns during 2024.
“They want to strengthen their military presence in the Transnistrian region. You can imagine the leverage and pressure 10,000 troops would exert on southwestern Ukraine—and also on Romania, a NATO member,” Recean said. “We must reinforce our defense, but we also need to carry out our national agenda.”
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Recean emphasized that these concerns stem from intelligence data. He also revealed that Russia currently stations approximately 1,500 soldiers on the left bank of the Nistru River.