Moldovan Foreign Minister Nicu Popescu on Thursday accused the Russian military of trying to recruit Moldovan nationals, Reuters reports, adding that the accusations come days after the British military intelligence services assessed that Moscow was trying to regain its forces. Ukraine recruiting in the Transnistrian separatist region.
“Such actions are not in the spirit of peace, neither for our fellow citizens nor for our families. Such things are very dangerous and must stop”, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Moldova, Nicu Popescu.
He did not give further details, but said that Chisinau Foreign Ministry officials have regular meetings with Russia’s ambassador, and Moldova’s position on the issue is as clear as can be.
Russia’s foreign ministry has not yet responded to a request for a statement, and Reuters said it could not immediately verify whether the Russian military had tried to recruit Moldovan citizens.
On the other hand, Ukrainian Defense Minister Hanna Maliar also said on Thursday that Russia had massed troops in several areas, including Transnistria, in preparation for an “additional escalation” in Ukraine.
Last month, Moldova said it was monitoring the situation in Transnistria, where about 1,500 Russian soldiers were stationed, but had not noticed any significant changes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th.
Authorities in Transnistria on Monday denied that Russia was conducting military training on its territory that would threaten Ukraine, and Tiraspol has not yet commented on the statements made by the Ukrainian official on Thursday, Reuters reports.