What is a republic, not recognized by a single country of the world, but now drawn into the Russian-Ukrainian conflict

April 25, 2022 at about 17.00 in the building of the Ministry of State Security of the Transnistria, the explosion thundered. Then one more, and more. Windows knocked out in the rooms, black smoke knocked on the street of Manoilov Tiraspol. After an hour and a half, employees of the department announced: the building was fired at grenades, there were no injured. And a little later, the sources of the Russian media and the former speaker of the Supreme Council of the unrecognized republic, Alexander Shcherba, said: Ukrainian saboteurs made the attack. So a small, poor, not recognized state was drawn into a global military operation of the XXI century.

However, who pulled him there? The version of Ukrainian aggression began to fall apart when the state television channel “First Transnistrian” in his Telegram reported that, judging by the tubes, he was shook from RPG-22 or RPG-27 grenade launchers. However, RPG-27, according to the Robert Lansing Institute, is used only by four armies of the world:

• the armed forces of Gabon,

• Jordan,

• Russia

• And the Transnistria itself.

There is no Ukraine on this list. The Transnistrian side has not yet commented on these discrepancies.

In the late evening, at 23.30, new explosions occurred at a military airfield near Tiraspol. According to the preliminary version, the air harbor was attacked using drones. Shards of shells damaged the hood and side glass of the ZIL car.

Further, events developed in terms of exponent:

• The next day, April 26, two explosions thundered in the village of Mayak, 10 kilometers from the Grigoriopol district center. The antennas of broadcasting were destroyed, which relayed Russian radio;

• On April 27, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Transnistria reported that with the help of drones that allegedly flew from the Ukrainian territory, the village of Kobasna was fired, where a large warehouse of weapons is located;

• On May 6, four explosions occurred at the territory of an abandoned airfield in the village of Voronkovo ​​at once. No one was injured.

Ukraine rejected involvement in the shelling of Transnistria. The SBU was asked by residents of the unrecognized republic “not to believe nonsense” and accused of what was happening to Russia. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cossacks against Kyiv also reacted emotionally:

QUOTE. Foreign Ministry of Ukraine
“Ukraine resolutely supports the territorial integrity of Moldova within its internationally recognized boundaries, condemns desperate attempts to draw the Transnistrian region into ... <Roskomnadzor> and calls for de -escalation of stress.”

Nevertheless, both Transnistria and the neighboring Ukrainian regions with it began to prepare for a possible armed conflict: the Russian pro -government television channel "Tsargrad" said that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in an unrecognized republic were brought into full combat readiness, Ukraine - announced additional mobilization of 2000 people in the Terborne of the Odessa region.

The clash may not be hypothetical if you recall that on April 22, explaining the tasks of the “second stage of the special operation”, the castle commander of the Central Military District, Rustam Minnekaev said:

QUOTE. Russian military
“One of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish complete control over the Donbass and Southern Ukraine. <...> Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out in Transnistria, where the facts of the oppression of the Russian -speaking population are also noted. ”

Unrecognized republic - one step from participating in an armed conflict. And it is not yet known why Russia wants to “cut through” the “window” to it.

How can Tiraspol fight?

What do people think about Russia in Transnistria?

Are Russian -speaking in reality in reality?

And how do they live in an unrecognized republic, legally part of the poorest country in Europe?

How was Transnistria separated?

The Transnistrian Republic announced its independence from Moldova under the Soviet Union - in 1989-1990. First, the referendum was held in Rybnitsa (today it is the third city of the republic), then in Tiraspol. The reason for the separation was the discontent of the growth of nationalist sentiments in the Moldavian SSR, where by that time the national front was gaining great popularity, whose members were aimed at integration with Romania

Between supporters of the USSR and supporters of the independence of Moldova, it reached clashes: on November 7, 1989, the "National Front" tore the celebration of the next anniversary of the October Revolution in Chisinau, raising the Romanian flags and blocked the road with military equipment. The leadership of the republic, seeing that the holiday was not according to plan, hastened to leave Victory Square. And then riots began on it, during which the nationalists managed to break through the police fences and completely take control of their area. The new large -scale clashes of the supporters of the Popular Front with the police occurred on November 10: 218 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and 77 protesters suffered.

Already on November 16, the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Moldavian USSR, Semyon Grossu announced the resolution of authority. And on the left bank of the Dniester, where most of the population were Russian and Russian -speaking Ukrainians, preparations for the department from Chisinau began.

An additional factor in discontent for Transnistria was the law on languages ​​adopted by the Parliament of the Moldavian SSR, which established the Moldavian language as the only state. In Transnistria, they considered that such a decision is discriminated with the Russian language.

In December 1989, the Creation of Transnistrian autonomy was announced, and on September 2, 1990, Tiraspol officially announced the creation of the Transdnestrovsk Moldavian SSR.

Typically, not only the official Chisinau, but also Moscow opposed the department of Transnistria from Moldova: the USSR President Mikhail Gorbachev in December 1990 signed a decree in which the Supreme Council of Moldova called on “some provisions”, “infringing on the rights of people of non -nmold nationality”. And by the same decree, he recognized the proclamation of the Transnistrian Moldavian SSR illegal.

Nevertheless, the actual department took place. And on the territory of Moldova, an unrecognized republic appeared.

How to live here?

If Moldova is the poorest country in Europe and the incomes of the population in it are an average of about $ 270 per month, then Transnistria lives even worse :

• People here earn $ 220–240,

• The average pension is $ 85–90.

Here is a demonstration sketch on how Transnistrians go shopping

“Marina takes the calligraphy shopping list for today: salt, pepper, barley, corn, millet. Near each item is the price and name of the store. Pepper is five times cheaper in Avoska, corn on the market, but in the Sheriff you can find cheap cereal. "

From the material “asked for Moscow: find us some ensign, we will be elected from us. No, they did not send " *

New Gazeta, 2016.*

Transnistria is total poverty. According to the Supreme Council of the Republic, over the past year and a half, more than 40 thousand people have left the PMR. Mostly the old people remained. According to the co -chairman of the "generally -nostrilian folk forum" Yuri Cheban,

For each working resident of the republic there are 5.5 pensioners and state employees.

The economy of an unrecognized republic largely depends on Russian subsidies. In 2012, Moscow sent $ 800 million to the needs of Transnistria, in 2013-$ 200 million. But in 2015, Russia suddenly refused to finance: the republic expected to receive $ 100 million for the payment of pensions and other social obligations, but the Government of the Russian Federation did not give money. According to unofficial information,

Moscow referred to economic difficulties caused by sanctions due to the annexation of Crimea, as well as to the idle lifestyle of Transnistrian officials.

Here I must say that Russia allocates money as its outpost in Europe as its outpost in Europe, but is jealous of this money. It seems like their people, but still not Lukashenko - debts for fiery speeches about the Brest Fortress, standing in the way of NATO, you can’t forgive . So against Oleg Smirnov, the son of the First President of Transnistria Igor Smirnov, even a criminal case was opened in the Russian Federation: a young man was suspected of embezzlement of 160 million rubles, sent to Transnistria as humanitarian assistance.

The excommunication from Russian money in 2015 caused a real crisis in Transnistria: people officially began to pay 70% of salaries and pensions. However, soon Russia has returned funding and now again gives billions of rubles unrecognized republic (and according to the ex-spiker of the Parliament of Transnistria Mikhail Burl-about a billion dollars a year), without demanding their return.

A complex scheme Moscow and Tiraspol were invented to pay for gas. More precisely, so that the Transnistria does not pay for him.

Money for gas is collected from the population and enterprises of the Transnistria, but they are not returned to Russia, but are credited to the so -called gas account and subsequently spent on internal needs. How exactly - no one really knows. This has been going on for more than 20 years.

However, do not think that in an unrecognized republic only officials sitting on Russian subsidies live well. And that all power here is formed by Russia. There is also its “owners” in Transnistria - the Sheriff holding of the dollar billionaire Viktor Gushan, who, in addition to Transnistrovsky, Moldavian, Russian and Ukrainian citizenship.

Sheriff is a supermonopoly unique for Eastern Europe. In Transnistria, she owns all types of business, income : a gas station, supermarkets, a bank, the only mobile operator, a television channel, a publishing house, a wine-cell and textile plants, a sports complex, and, of course, a famous football club , which played Real Madrid last year ...

15-16 thousand people work for the Sheriff, the holding provides the budget for more than 50% of the taxes, it controls about 60% of the economy of the republic and, as they say, also about 60% of its shadow component.

Viktor Gushan himself almost does not appear in public and does not give an interview, but stands at almost every major event in Transnistria. It is not surprising that of the 33 selected deputies 29 are representatives of the “Update” party created and funded by the “Sheriff”, and three more are businessmen who are closely interacting with the Sheriff. Another mandate is with a political scientist sympathizing with the “sheriff”. In the end, even the president of the republic, Vadim Krasnoselsky, is a “sheriff” protege.

Such centralization of power does not imply disputes about the vector of development of the republic. And for several decades, Transnistria has been stubbornly (but so far unsuccessfully) has been going to Russia .

But then why did the commander of the troops of the Central Military District stated that in Transnistria they oppress the Russian -speaking population?

The choice of Moldova

In his speech about the goals of the “special operation” and “corridor” in the unrecognized republic, Major General Minnecaev, I must say, made a lot of catastrophic blunders. “Apparently, we are now fighting with the whole world, as it was in the Great Patriotic War. All Europe, the whole world was against us. And now the same thing, ”he said, distorting the story to the impossible, because, obviously, half of Europe and the United States fought on the same side as the USSR (the Novaya Gazeta about the allies had a whole special issue ). In addition, even in accordance with the existing political conjuncture, the statement of Minnecaev turned out to be incorrect: after all, the Kremlin and the Foreign Ministry insist that the vast majority of countries for Russia are friendly.

Probably, Major General did not mean the oppression of the Russian-speaking in Transnistria (where in general they are mainly they say in Russian), but the discord of the relationship between Thyraspol, Moscow and Chisinau after winning the presidential election in the Moldova of the European-oriented candidate of Maya Sandu.

She, barely taking office, said that Moldova would not pay Russia for gas supplied to Transnistria, and then, a few months before the “special operation”, together with the President of Ukraine Zelensky condemned the best friend of Russian President Vladimir Lukashenko for participating in “hybrid attacks on the EU” and repressions against the Belarusian people.

But the worst thing, perhaps, was stated by Sanda after coming to the presidency is a desire to resolve the issue with Transnistria and withdraw Russian troops from there . Yes, many presidents of Moldova promised to solve the Transnistrian issue. But it is one thing when absolutely pro -Russian Igor Dodon proposes to conduct federalization (here go, understand who else to join who will join - Transnistria to Moldova or vice versa), and another - when the pro -Western leader declares: “There is an operational group of troops of the Russian Federation in the Transnistria, in relation to which there have never been agreements from Moldova. Therefore, the position of the state is that these troops must be withdrawn, and the weapons must be exported from the territory of our country. ”

Sergei Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov instantly responded to the initiative to withdraw the troops, saying that the Russian military is in the region in order to "prevent a new surge of a bloody conflict."

In an attempt to withdraw Russian troops beyond the borders of Moldova, apparently, there is a "oppression of the Russian -speaking."

The second front?

So is the Transnistrians or the Russian armed forces based in the republic can attack Ukraine? Theoretically, this possibility cannot be excluded. Another question is than attacking.

The number of Russian armed group in an unrecognized republic is about 1,500 people. These are motorized rifles. They do not have heavy weapons, no missile defense and air defense, artillery, tanks or aviation.

Here's what about the Armed Forces of Russia in Transnistria Military expert Pavel Felgenhauer:

Commentary of a military expert

Pavel Felgenhauer, military observer:

“There are two motorized rifle battalions on Betar, who in turn perform peacekeeping functions in the region in turn. There is also a battalion of management (command, security, communication, security). <...> The operational group of Russian troops in Transnistria performs, in fact, a symbolic function, denoting the Russian military presence. ”

From the material "Garrison of Transnistria on the Pin -Resinced Feed" *,

New Gazeta, 2015.*

The number of armed forces of Transnistria itself is about 7.5 thousand people. There are armored vehicles-10 tanks, about 100 armored personnel carriers, 30 volley systems and obsolete ZSU-23-4 anti-aircraft guns produced in the USSR.

The attack even with joint forces on the modern Western weapons using Ukraine will look more like a gesture of despair. However, it is impossible to predict the actions of the Russian command.

Dossier

Materials "New" about Transnistria

• Elena Racheva. "We are ready to be your outpost."

• Elena Racheva. “Everything seems to be like in the Donbass, just not seriously.”

• Elena Racheva. “In the elections in Transnistria,“ United Russia ”leads .

• Elena Racheva. “They asked Moscow: find us some ensign, we will be elected from us. No, they didn’t send it. ”

• Irek Murtazin. “You can get out the military, but what about the“ sheriff ”?

• Pavel Felgenhauer. "The garrison of Transnistria on the footstep."