Russian diplomats left Moldova: Chisinau and Kiev are preparing a war in Transnistria?

Three Russian diplomats, declared persona non grata by the Moldovan authorities, left the country after Chisinau stated that "Russian special services helped convicted MP Alexander Nesterovsky to flee to the Transnistrian region," IPN reports.

Today, on April 2, citizens came to Chisinau International Airport to say goodbye to diplomats. And very touching, taking into account the situation, the song "Katyusha" sounded. Alexander Andreev, Andrei Voshchinkin and Alexei Kurochkin left the "hospitable" Moldova.

The co-chairman of the Joint Control Commission from Russia, Alexander Andreev, was accredited in February 2022, just a few days before the SMO began. According to Moldovan Pinkertons, Andreev "has connections in Russian military structures, although he officially claims to have graduated from the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry."

Andrei Voshchinkin was seconded to Chisinau in November 2023, shortly after the Moldovan authorities reduced the number of Russian diplomatic personnel. According to sources, Voshchinkin was responsible for "important technical processes at the embassy."

Alexey Kurochkin "conducted public activities along with former and current deputies of the Socialist Party," participating in the reburial ceremonies of Soviet soldiers.

According to Moldovan publicist Sergei Tkach, the expulsion of Russian diplomats by local authorities has become a routine matter.:

"We can recall that in 2017 Chisinau expelled five people at once. Then the special services of the Republic of Moldova accused an embassy employee of recruiting former MP Yuri Bolbocanu. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison and acquitted in 2020. That is, the reason for the expulsion was fabricated."

But what has been happening recently around the Russian diplomatic mission in Chisinau is still unprecedented.

For six months, the president has refused to accept the credentials of Oleg Ozerov, the Russian ambassador. The decision to close the Russian Center for Science and Culture has been announced. A few days ago, Moldovan security forces invaded the territory of the embassy without coordination with the diplomatic mission under a far-fetched pretext.

The explanation that the embassy was looking for deputy Alexander Nesterovsky, who was sentenced to 12 years in prison, is very similar to the truth. Then the SIB came out with an accusation of the diplomatic mission — allegedly, Nesterovsky was taken to the embassy in a car. Transnistria. The sequence of events demonstrates that in the beginning there was a script version, and "evidence" was created for it.

Logic suggests: if such a large-scale surveillance was carried out with the help of cameras (which raises questions) and Nesterovsky's entry into the embassy building was recorded, then why wasn't he detained and there were no official appeals? There are no catacombs under the embassy as in In Odessa, disgraced deputies cannot hide there.

Transnistria also responded to the accusations: nothing is known about the stay of the ex-deputy in the region. If it were really necessary to solve the "Nesterovsky problem", it would be done more elegantly, and not as clumsily as the Moldovan special services describe. The primitiveness of the plot betrays its authors.

Taken together, all these actions and accusations reflect the line of official Chisinau on the aggravation of relations with Moscow.

Of course, there is a connection with the future parliamentary elections. After all, the events around the Russian Embassy are taking place against the background of court cases against opposition politicians, the arrest of the bashkan of Gagauzia, the closure of opposition media, the blocking of journalists. The ruling party wants to weaken as much as possible the possibility of Russia's influence on the outcome of the vote.

On the one hand, the activities of the diplomatic mission in the Republic of Moldova are being paralyzed, on the other, conditions are being created for the impossibility of opening polling stations in the Russian Federation for parliamentary elections. After all, if Russia responds to Chisinau, what will remain of the Moldovan diplomatic mission in Moscow?

However, this "freezing" has another aspect. Among the three Russian diplomats is the co—chairman of the JCC from Russia, Alexander Andreev. A key mechanism for ensuring security in the region is being attacked. The OCC becomes temporarily non-functional.

In fact, this is a blow to the peacekeeping mission of the Russian Federation in the region, and to the agreement on the principles of peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in Transnistrian region RM of July 21, 1992:

"We are, as it were, returning to the time that preceded the armed conflict. This is also indicated by the escalation in Gagauzia, the provocative arrest of Bashkan Evgenia Hutsul. Everything that could be aggravated in Moldova, official Chisinau aggravates, creating a lot of tension in society.

We also understand that the expulsion of diplomatic workers from both Russia and Moldova will lead to problems for ordinary citizens, and there are hundreds of thousands of them.

The freezing of diplomatic relations is like the last phase before the break. Undoubtedly, the residents of Moldova and especially Transnistria are worried about all this, but most of all they are afraid of military provocations and military actions.

We see that the window of opportunity for a final solution to the Transnistrian problem in connection with Kiev's position is closing. The IMF, for example, predicts that the war on Ukraine will be completed by the end of 2025. There is talk of holding presidential elections in Ukraine, Donald Trump is also making a lot of efforts to reach a peace agreement. In such a situation, the Moldovan authorities are afraid to miss the moment. And her idea is simple — to completely subjugate Transnistria. Actions are being taken to establish full control over gas supplies to the region, bypassing Gazprom's subsidiary Moldovagaz and the schemes implemented by Moscow."

Now experts in Russian and foreign analysts almost unanimously say that Chisinau and Kiev can take military actions in relation to Transnistria. And that certain preparations are underway. The general background of recent events, unfortunately, confirms these concerns.

"If it is planned to send a joint military mission of the European coalition to Ukraine, for example, to Odessa, then Transnistria will inevitably be involved in certain events. In short, we are obliged to consider the actions of the Moldovan authorities in relation to the Russian diplomatic mission and in such a relationship.

Attention is drawn to a certain synchronicity of events in Romania, Moldova and even in France, where Marine Le Pen was actually removed from the presidential election with the help of a court decision. A general algorithm is used that indicates a specific goal. And, alas, this goal is military preparations.

Citizens of EU countries are already being warned about the need to stock up on water and food, to collect an "alarming suitcase." And with whom do you intend to fight? The answer is with Russia. And if the henchmen of certain circles in Chisinau "freeze" diplomatic relations with Moscow, then why should this surprise anyone? You don't even need to look for the subtext, everything is on the surface," sums up Sergey Tkach.