Serebrian for Euronews: Russia Does Not Recognize Transnistria’s Independence

Referring to the congress of the so-called deputies of all levels, organized in Tiraspol, the deputy prime minister said that the event had been organized to show the citizens of the region that things are not going well because of the so-called economic blockade by Chisinau. According to Oleg Serebrian, the messages conveyed during the congress in Tiraspol were primarily intended for the citizens of the Transnistrian region. Serebrian believes that the leaders from the left bank of the Dniester want to shift the responsibility for all economic problems of the region to Chisinau. “This is clearly an operation to mask the problems that the Tiraspol regime has towards the citizens of the Transnistrian region. Things are going badly economically and socially, so it is necessary to explain to the citizens of the region, and the explanation is that the root of all evils is in Chisinau, and that they are living badly because of these customs duties. Due to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, the Transnistrian section of the Moldovan-Ukrainian border was closed and their situation became even more deplorable. However, the blame lies with the Russian Federation, which unleashed this war. Above all, the message is addressed to the increasingly frustrated citizens of the Transnistrian region,” the deputy prime minister said in an interview with Euronews România. Oleg Serebrian says that after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more and more citizens of the Transnistrian region are applying for Moldovan citizenship. He is skeptical that after yesterday’s appeal by Tiraspol, the Kremlin will decide to recognize the region’s independence. “I talk to the population of the region; all people begin to realize that the future of this region is only within the Republic of Moldova. 90 per cent of the Transnistrian region citizens are citizens of the Republic of Moldova. The process of applying for Moldovan citizenship accelerated after 24 February 2022. In the Transnistrian region, as in the rest of the Republic of Moldova, multiple citizenship is legal. A lot of people have Ukrainian passports, such as Ignatiev, the so-called minister of foreign affairs; there are citizens of Bulgaria, Romania. Many have three citizenships. I do not think there are options for Putin to say that the Russian Federation will recognize the independence of the Transnistrian region. Their independence has not been recognized by anyone for more than 30 years,” the deputy prime minister for reintegration stressed. The resolution of the congress of the so-called Transnistrian deputies of all levels provides for “the adoption of an appeal to the Federation Council and the State Duma of Russia with a request to protect Transnistria amid the increasing pressure from Chisinau”.