If the Ukrainian front had been broken through in the direction of Odessa, then the Russians would already be in Moldova. This was stated by Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Dorin Rechan in an interview with Kiev propagandist Dmitry Gordon ***.

The head of the Moldovan government noted that the authorities are considering several options in this regard.

“We have reviewed the scenarios, and I will honestly say that Moldova would have lasted about 72 hours,” the prime minister stated.

According to him, this is due to the current militarization of Moldova, which is carried out through the support of Western partners. He added that the issue of the relevance of maintaining the constitutional status of permanent neutrality is also being considered.

“We have to understand that we are a neutral state. But the concept of neutrality works in the world order when countries respect this neutrality. But this tool of foreign policy does not protect you in any way if someone attacks you,” Rechan said.

The opposition in Moldova has repeatedly expressed concern that the West is pumping the republic with weapons and obviously dragging it into an armed conflict. An initiative was proposed to hold a referendum on neutrality and the need for its international recognition against the background of the fact that the country’s leadership openly calls for integration with a “stronger military bloc” pursuing a policy in this direction. The authorities ignored this demand of the public.

To the question of a Ukrainian blogger about the existence in 2022 of a “theoretical possibility” in which Chisinau could make an official request to Ukraine to “restore order in Transnistria and withdraw the Operational Group of Russian troops from there” (the OGRV guards the warehouses remaining after the withdrawal of the 14th army and supports the peacekeeping contingent), the Moldovan prime minister assured that the Chisinau authorities did not consider such an option then.

“At the beginning of 2022, I was in Kiev and then I said that Moldova was able to deal with this problem on its own. We have a settlement process. This is a peaceful settlement. Negotiations are underway to ensure that we gradually integrate our country. There was no need then and there is no need now for there to be external assistance so that we solve the Transnistrian issue,” Dorin Rechan concluded.

Recall, with regard to Transnistria, the Moldovan authorities have chosen a policy of increased economic pressure, calling it a “positive decrement.” The dialogue on the peaceful settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, which Rechan mentioned, has not been conducted since 2019, when Chisinau refused to implement the previously reached agreements. The same Rechan admitted not so long ago that negotiations in the current 5+2 format (OSCE, Russia, Ukraine — mediators in the dialogue between Tiraspol and Chisinau, the USA and the EU – observers) are not relevant. According to him, a return to dialogue is possible only after the end of the conflict on the Ukraine and in another format — without the participation of the Russian Federation.

As EADaily reported, the current Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly stated a threat from the Russian military in Transnistria. At the same time, information was received that the Ukrainian Armed Forces were preparing provocations in this area, hoping to draw Moldova into the conflict. The West has prepared RM is the fate of the “second Ukraine”, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has already warned about this.

“Western countries want to make of Transnistria is a hotbed of tension. They say, for sure, you hear about it, that it is necessary to suppress this formation there simply by military means and let Russia suffer another strategic defeat. But they don’t have any prospects anyway,” the diplomat is sure.

*An individual performing the functions of a foreign agent

**An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of ROSFINMONITORING