On May 16, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky discussed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrey Sibiga the situation around Transnistria, the residents of which the aggressor country Russia has made it easier for residents to obtain their passports. The president's address was published on his Facebook page.
According to Zelensky, this specific step means that Russia is thus looking for new soldiers, since citizenship implies military duty. At the same time, this is also Russia’s designation of the territory of Transnistria as supposedly its own.
“Even in Moscow, they often tell various interlocutors that they are supposedly only interested in Donbass. In fact, not only Donbass. We must react to this. Moreover, the Russian military contingent and the location of special services in Transnistria are also a challenge for us. We are interested in a stable, strong Moldova. I have instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to appropriately contact Moldova on issues of joint assessment and joint actions. I also expect proposals from the Ukrainian special services, from our intelligence on the response format. Russia needs to think more about its refineries and its oil transshipment, and not about the citizens of other states and the land of other peoples,” the president noted.
