Chisinau has declared the representatives of the leadership of the Russian military contingent in Transnistria undesirable and restricted their movement. From now on, they will not be able to leave the region freely without legalizing their status. This is reported by Glavcom.
Russian military in Transnistria: who has been declared persona non grata
Speaker of the Moldovan Parliament Igor Grosu stated that the decision concerns the leadership of the operational group of Russian troops (OGRV), stationed in the unrecognized Transnistria.
«These individuals are declared undesirable on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, and the reason is very simple and specific: the Russian army is illegally present on the territory of the Republic of Moldova. This is what we said, we dared and made this decision - to declare them persona non grata,» noted Igor Grosu.
According to local media, the following individuals are on the list:
Commander of OGRV Dmitry Zelenkov
Deputies Dmitry Opalev, Sergey Maschenko, and Sergey Shirshov
Chief of Staff Marat Yarulin
Alexey Bogomolov, who is linked to financing the group.
These individuals must arrive in the territory controlled by the Moldovan government to obtain legal status. Without this, they will not be able to cross checkpoints or leave the country.
Restrictions on the movement of Russian troops: what are the consequences of the decision
The imposed restrictions mean a de facto blockage of the free movement of Russian military personnel beyond Transnistria. In case of attempts to reach the right bank of the Dniester or to fly out through Chisinau airport, they face detention and deportation.
The Migration Inspectorate of Moldova reported that since the beginning of the year, 76 foreigners have been declared undesirable. The travel ban for them ranges from five to fifteen years. Some of them are linked to illegal military formations.
Transnistria remains a territory that is effectively controlled by an unrecognized administration and supported by Russia. After the 1992 conflict, the region separated from Moldova, but no country in the world recognizes its independence.
Recently, the situation in the region has been complicated by an economic crisis, energy problems, and general geopolitical instability, which exacerbates tensions regarding the presence of Russian troops.
It should be noted that the economy of Transnistria has fallen by 18% due to the absence of Russian gas.