As soon as the confrontation between the collective West and its opponents (Russia, China, Iran, etc.) turned out to be on the verge of outright war, there was a smell of gunpowder at the borders of countries considered to be friends and allies of Moscow.
Losing their positions, supporters of a unipolar world, primarily among the American "hawks", began to incite war against states they did not like. The latest example of this is the call to attack the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic, coming from the former commander of US troops in Europe, General Ben Hodges.
As is known from the media, the retired military man wrote on social media that the time has come for Ukraine and Moldova to "solve the Pridnestrovian issue." “The Kremlin can’t stop it now. Do the inhabitants of Pridnestrovie want to be chained to the corpse that is now the Russian Federation? Is there any hope for a brighter future for them?” Hodges said.
If we omit the demagogy about a “bright future”, as if taken from the communist agitprop by a retired general, the bottom line is a direct call for military aggression against the PMR to eliminate the Pridnestrovian statehood. The very liquidation of our statehood is a means of “cleansing” Russian influence on the banks of the Dniester for a supporter of military aggression and occupation of Pridnestrovie. And not only in the PMR, which B. Hodges sees destroyed but also on the Right Bank of the Dniester, including Gagauzia. After all, it is well known that pro-Russian sentiments are very strong in Gagauzia, which the President of the Republic of Moldova, Maya Sandu, who recently visited Autonomy, personally made sure of.
Ben Hodges' demarche is not the first provocation of its kind. Let's remember what distinguished the former Assistant to the President of the United States for National Security Affairs John Bolton. He also spoke about the need to put pressure on Russia through Pridnestrovie.
Of course, this could only be the insanity of the old "hawk" if it did not fit into the worldwide scheme of forcing military danger from the West. In our case, we should recall the resolution of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which declared Pridnestrovie "the territory occupied by the Russian Federation." This is a direct call to attack the PMR with the aim of supposedly "liberation from occupation." There can be no other interpretation if you read the text of the wording impartially.
All this, coupled with the American troops' massive transfer to Europe and the exercises of the armies of the expanding NATO countries, means that the West is preparing for global war in Europe.
This conclusion is strengthened by the analysis of the actions of the European Union, which provides Moldova with 40 million euros in military aid. Strengthening the military potential of Chisinau can only be aimed at preparing for a possible attack on Pridnestrovie. By definition, it cannot be used against anyone else.
It is obvious that the West, without reasoning, is ready to throw Moldova on the fire of war for its interests. This is also proved by the fact that it is the West that is forcing the current leadership of Chisinau to make regular anti-Russian statements, as well as to refuse top-level negotiations to improve Moldovan-Russian relations. In particular, it is precisely the Westerners` ears that are peeking through in the actual disruption by the Moldovan "top" of negotiations with Russia to determine an acceptable price for Russian gas supplied to the Republic of Moldova.
Thus, the escalation of tension in the southwest of the former Soviet Union is not terminated. Let's add to this the proposals of the pro-Western and pro-Romanian politicians of Chisinau, divorced from any reality, to “transfer” Pridnestrovie to Ukraine “in exchange” for Northern Bukovina with Chernivtsi. This, for example, is proposed by Vasile Shoimaru, a deputy of the 1990 parliament, a supporter of Moldova's accession to Romania, and now a legislator from the ruling PAS party (Maya Sandu's party). It should be noted that fantasies that a whole nation can be handed over to someone have already led the pro-Romanian nationalists of Moldova to defeat many times. In particular, in the war on the Dniester in 1992, when the troops of Chisinau attacked Pridnestrovie.
Speaking about the current situation, it can be noted that the growing military threat to the PMR is obvious. The statements of Hodges, Bolton, and others, as Soviet propagandists said, warmongers, lead to the conclusion that Pridnestrovie must have both a combat-ready army and large arsenals of weapons and military equipment to repel potential aggression.
However, all these risks and threats did not and will not affect the cornerstone principles of Pridnestrovian foreign policy. And they are as follows: while developing their statehood and seeking international recognition of our independence, strengthening the alliance with Russia, Pridnestrovians simultaneously develop good relations with all countries, without feeling hostility towards anyone. And at the same time - not succumbing to any provocations.
Russia also warns against a possible escalation, noting that the response will be immediate. Today, on September 6, speaking in Moscow, Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry, who has worked in Chisinau for a long time, Vitaly Tryapitsyn, stressed that there was a danger of escalation and it was important that external players were aware of that.
Against this background, the appeals of the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Vadim Krasnoselsky to his Moldovan counterpart Maya Sandu with proposals to intensify negotiations and consolidate peace on the Dniester with the help of special agreements seem realistic. Since Russia will not allow the destruction of the statehood of Pridnestrovie, the dialogue proposed by Tiraspol is the only way out for all parties.
Andrey Safonov
