US Troops, Equipment Leave Central Chisinau Exhibition Amid Protests

US servicemen and military equipment left central Chisinau after protest against them.

CHISINAU(Sputnik) – US servicemen and military equipment taking part in an exhibition amid the Dragon Pioneer 2016 drills in Moldova have left central Chisinau following protest against them on Sunday, a RIA Novosti correspondent reported.

Earlier on Sunday, the day commemorating the end of World War II in Europe, a military exhibition that included equipment from the United States opened in the center of Moldovan capital. US soldiers, involved in military exercises in Moldova, alongside local troops, participated in the event intended to honor the victims of WWII.

Several hundred people protested against the exhibition. Moldova's opposition Socialist Party condemned presence of US military equipment and troops in Chisinau, stressing that Moldova was a neutral country.

The exhibition finished several hours later, and the equipment was taken to a polygon where the drills are taking place.

Around 165 Moldovan Ground Forces soldiers and 198 US troops, alongside 58 pieces of US hardware and 40 Moldovan sapper equipment and support vehicles, are taking part in the Dragon Pioneer 2016 drills that kicked off in the republic on May 2.