Zakharova Started Threatening Moldova

• 21.05.2026, 19:38

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman made up "aggression" against Russians in Transnistria.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has threatened Chisinau with a response to any "aggression" against Russian citizens in Transnistria. "Any aggression against our fellow citizens living in Transnistria will receive an unmediated and adequate response," she said at a briefing, emphasizing that Moscow is ready to use "all necessary means" to ensure the safety of the region's residents.

The threats came against the backdrop of Vladimir Putin's May 15 decree, which allowed Transnistrian residents to obtain Russian passports in a simplified procedure. The document was motivated by "protection of human rights and freedoms." In response, Moldovan President Maia Sandu said that the Kremlin is thus trying to conduct a covert mobilization of the population of the unrecognized republic to participate in the war against Ukraine, as well as putting pressure on Chisinau in connection with its plans to reintegrate Transnistria. According to Sandu, since the start of the full-scale war, most residents of the region have opted for Moldovan passports, considering them safer.

In the meantime, the Russian parliament passed in final reading a bill allowing Putin to use the army to "protect Russian citizens" abroad - in case they are arrested, detained or prosecuted by courts that Moscow does not recognize. On May 20, the Federation Council approved corresponding amendments to the laws "On Citizenship" and "On Defense."

Transnistria is an unrecognized state with a population of about 350,000, where Russian troops have been stationed since 1992. The region, formally part of Moldova, is heavily dependent on Russia economically and politically and remains one of the "frozen" conflicts in the post-Soviet space.