loading…
Ukrainian border guards stand at a border checkpoint with the breakaway Transnistria region of Moldova, near Odessa, March 13, 2014. Photo/REUTERS
MOSCOW – Any action by Ukraine or the West that poses a threat to Russian peacekeepers or citizens of the breakaway Transnistria region from Moldova, will be seen as an attack on Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a warning to Kiev and its Western backers not to carry out “provocations” there.
In a statement released on Friday, Russian diplomats cited data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, which according to Ukraine has amassed large numbers of military personnel, as well as hardware and artillery on its border with Transnistria.
In this regard, Moscow warns the US, NATO member states and their Ukrainian subordinates against further adventurous steps.
“Although Russia likes political-diplomatic ways to solve problems, there is no doubt that the Russian armed forces will react appropriately to any provocation by the Kiev regime,” the statement said.
Also read: Gaza Rockets Attack Israel after Zionist Forces Kill 11 Palestinians
Moscow stressed it was committed to protecting its citizens, peacekeepers and military personnel stationed in the breakaway region of Moldova.
“Any action that threatens their security will be viewed, according to international law, as an attack on the Russian Federation,” the Russian statement said.
A report on Ukraine’s military buildup along the country’s border with Transnistria was released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday.
The region on the left bank of the Dniester River declared independence from Moldova in the early 1990s, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
About 1,100 Russian troops are stationed in Transnistria as peacekeepers to monitor a 1992 ceasefire between Moldovan and local troops.
(she)
