Risks of Unfreezing Conflict in Transnistria Remain, Russian Diplomat Says

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - There is a threat of escalation in the self-proclaimed Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (Transnistria), and it is important for the neighboring nations to understand the risks of a possible resumption of the conflict, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Vitaly Tryapitsyn, told Sputnik on Tuesday.

"Yes, there is a threat of escalation. A number of terrorist acts took place in Transnistria from April-June, the tracks of which lead to Ukraine, according to the capital city of Tiraspol," Tryapitsyn said.

The diplomat also said that both sides to the conflict should understand the possible consequences if an "unfreezing" of the conflict takes place.

Transnistria was rocked by a series of explosions in April. The local authorities introduced a red terrorist threat level and initiated a criminal probe into "the acts of terrorism." Transnistrian President Vadim Krasnoselsky blamed the attacks on Ukraine, while Moldovan President Maia Sandu insisted that the attempts to escalate the situation in the breakaway region are being undertaken by violent forces within Transnistria, which she believes intend to drag Moldova into war.

Transnistria, 60% of whose population is Russian and Ukrainian, has been seeking to secede from Moldova since the collapse of the Soviet Union, fearing that Moldova would integrate with Romania. In 1992, after a failed attempt by the Moldovan authorities to solve the issue by force, Transnistria became a territory de facto not controlled by Chisinau.