The President of Moldova has warned that residents of Transnistria could be sent to fight in the war against Ukraine

The decision by Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin to simplify the procedure for residents of unrecognized Transnistria to obtain Russian passports could serve as a tool for their subsequent mobilization into the ranks of the Russian Federation’s occupying army. According to President Maia Sandu, Moscow is in dire need of additional manpower to continue hostilities on Ukrainian territory. 

This is reported by Politico.

Moldovan authorities also view such moves by Moscow as a means of pressuring and intimidating Chisinau in response to its active attempts to reintegrate the left-bank region under its control. Despite the Kremlin’s actions, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the majority of Transnistria’s population has consciously chosen Moldovan passports, viewing them as a more reliable guarantee of their own security. At the same time, Sandu denied the possibility that Russia could block the country’s path to European integration due to the unresolved conflict, emphasizing that the decision on EU membership depends solely on the bloc itself.

Moldova stated that the Kremlin’s decision to simplify the issuance of Russian passports to Transnistrian residents could be an attempt to recruit new soldiers for the war against Ukraine. Chisinau warned that Russian citizenship, under current conditions, entails not only rights but also serious obligations.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine will respond to Russia’s decision to simplify the process of obtaining citizenship for Transnistrian residents, as this may indicate broader intentions on Moscow’s part regarding the region.