Transnistria Leader Asks Russia to Assess Moldovan-Ukrainian Car Transit Ban

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Speaking with Russia’s Izvestiya newspaper, Krasnoselsky said his Moldovan counterpart had confirmed that Moldova and Ukraine planned to end transit of Transnistria-registered cars through their territories starting on July 1.

"There are 220,000 Russian citizens living in Transnistria," Krasnoselsky told the outlet. "They must be protected by Russian laws. I am calling on Russia to give a legal assessment [of the ban]."

The self-proclaimed republic, which is a strip of land between Moldova and Ukraine, has been vying for independence from Moldova since the latter was still part of the Soviet Union. Their standoff escalated into a military conflict in 1992, which ended in a ceasefire. The majority of the breakaway republic’s population is ethnic Russian or Ukrainian.

Krasnoselsky accused Moldova of colluding with Ukraine – a guarantor of Transnistrian peace alongside Russia – to "drive us into a corner" and isolate the region. He pointed to a 2001 agreement between Moldovan and Transnistrian presidents on the recognition of Transnistrian license plates in Moldova.

The Transnistrian leader also bashed checkpoints on borders with Moldova and Ukraine that, he said, could trigger an economic crisis and an exodus of people from Transnistria, where a majority holds multiple passports. The president added he was convinced that Russia would eventually recognize the region’s independence.