Moldova

Russian Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekayev said Friday that Russia plans to take "full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine," CBS News reported.

Reuters identifies Minnekayev as "the deputy commander of Russia's central military district," while CBS refers to him as the district's "acting" commander. Minnekayev said there is evidence "that the Russian-speaking population" in Transnistria "is being oppressed," a claim that could lay the groundwork for future Russian interventions. Russia has had troops stationed in Moldova since 1992.

Ukrainian tank firing. Image Credit: Creative Commons. What is Russia Planning Against Moldova? – Russian military commander Rustam Minnekaev may have let slip ...

Minnekaev’s comments seem to suggest that Russian troops will next refocus their energies not just on the east, but on pushing westwards from Crimea, further into Ukrainian territory and all the way to Moldova. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society. “Control over the south of Ukraine is another way out to Transnistria, where there are also facts of oppression of the Russian-speaking population,” the Russian commander added, referencing the separatist region of Moldova that already has a large Russian military presence.

Rustam Minnekaev, deputy commander of the Central Military District warned that by having control over Southern Ukraine this will provide the Russian army with ...

A senior EU official said the next couple of weeks would likely be decisive. Minnekaev said, “Since the beginning of the second phase of the special operation, it has already begun just two days ago, one of the tasks of the Russian army is to establish full control over the Donbas and Southern Ukraine.” A defence analyst has said the situation is looking worrying and Moldova should be “very wary of this ongoing Russian assault” in eastern Ukraine.

A tiny nation bordering Ukraine fears it is next on Putin's hit list after ominous commentary emerged from a senior Russian general.

“The invasion of Ukraine is only the beginning. Akopov said Russia might not need to take the rest of Ukraine, including Kyiv and Lviv, as without the south of the country – which includes its ports – it was not a “self-sufficient state”. “All the nations that, like us, believe in the victory of life over death must fight with us. “If we take the goal of the second phase to be establishing control over the south of Ukraine, then we have to realise that a third phase is inevitable too – control over all of Novorossiya,” Akopov added. “Novorossiya” refers to a wide stretch of present day southern and eastern Ukraine stretching from parts of the Donbas all the way to Moldova’s borders including Odessa. Meanwhile, a pro-Kremlin commentator has said Moscow’s aim is “the gradual dismantling and phased reformatting of (Ukraine)”. That suggests that while Russian troops may have fled Kyiv, the aim remians the entire nation’s downfall.

What the Hell is "Transnistria" and why does it matter so much in the Russian war on Ukraine?

The city has enormous cultural significance for both Ukraine and Russia, as it was founded by Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. There is that and the fact that it is located fewer than 50 miles southeast of Transnistria. A Russian military commander suggested Friday that Moscow wants to establish a corridor through southern Ukraine to the breakaway republic of Transnistria in eastern Moldova. This immediately sends a red flag high into the air and gets my spidey sense tingling. Video courtesy of YouTube and CNBC. Those ties to Russia exist to this day. It’s not immediately clear if Minnekaev’s statement reflects the official line of the Kremlin or not.