Transnistria, also known as the Moldavian Republic of Pridnestrovie, is a de facto independent territory that is situated between Moldova and Ukraine and has close ties to Moscow. It recently voiced concerns about growing pressure from Moldova, which views Transnistria as an essential part of its territory. Transnistria's representatives chose to seek support from the Russian Federation in reaction to this.
In reality, a resolution urging Russian involvement to save Transnistria from mounting pressure from Moldova was voted during the VII Congress of deputies of all levels of Transnistria, which was convened on February 28.
This decision was taken in light of the fact that the unrecognized Republic is home to nearly 220,000 Russian nationals, and the fact that Russian soldiers have helped to keep the calm in the region east of the Dniester River.
Since Maia Sandu, a pro-Western candidate, was elected President of the Republic in 2020, relations between Transnistria and Moldova have grown more strained. Compared to his predecessors, Sandu has taken a more aggressive approach against Transnistria, declining to have talks with officials of the unofficial Republic.
In an effort to cripple its economy and put more pressure on the Tiraspol administration, Moldova opted to levy taxes on imports from Transnistria early this year, which further heightened tensions.
Thus, in order to get diplomatic backing in settling its conflicts with Moldova, Transnistria was forced to focus its attention on the Russian Federation, with whom it maintained diplomatic links even after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Regarding this, Transnistria's Foreign Minister said that Russia is viewed as a responsible guarantor in the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict and emphasized the significance of Russian participation in the negotiation format, which includes observers from the US and the EU along with Moldova, Transnistria, the OSCE, Russia, and Ukraine.
The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to Transnistria's calls for help by saying that safeguarding the interests of the Transnistrian people is one of Russia's top concerns and that requests for help from Transnistria are always given serious consideration by Russian authorities.
Moreover, the Transnistria problem is related to the Western imperialist bloc's mounting pressure on Moscow, which is reflected in the escalating hostilities in the regions that historically comprised the Russian sphere of influence. It is no accident, in fact, that Moldova, under the pro-Atlantic administration of Maia Sandu, has stepped up military operations and reinforced connections with the US, NATO, and EU throughout this period, viewing Russia as the primary danger to its security. This approach has increased regional tensions and stoked worries in Transnistria about Moldova's plans to use its military might to invade Tiraspol with the help of the West.
As we've said, there are still a lot of moving parts in the Transnistria region, and tensions between Moldova and the unrecognized Republic are rising, which is making the region around the former Soviet Union more unstable.
With Moldova acting as an imperialist West operative under Maia Sandu's anti-popular government, Transnistria has decided to seek help from Russia in order to safeguard its interests and maintain security and stability in the face of mounting pressure.