Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria

Last updated

Map showing all Russian-occupied territories in Europe before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is shown in light red while the dark red territories are, from left to right, Transnistria, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. One of them, Crimea, was annexed in 2014. Russian-occupied territories.svg
Map showing all Russian-occupied territories in Europe before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Russia is shown in light red while the dark red territories are, from left to right, Transnistria, Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. One of them, Crimea, was annexed in 2014.

The government of Transnistria, a breakaway state internationally recognized as part of Moldova, has requested annexation by Russia numerous times. Transnistria is a territory that separated itself from Moldova due to fear of a possible unification of the latter with Romania. This sparked the Transnistria War, in which Russian-backed Transnistria managed to stay separate from Moldova. Despite this, today Transnistria is legally and internationally considered part of Moldova.

Contents

Following Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, hopes in Transnistria that Russia would annex its territory as well grew. Transnistria has a substantial ethnic Russian population and the vast majority of its people speak Russian. The territory is financially supported by Russia, and Transnistrian education and laws are also interrelated with Russia. In 2006, a referendum in Transnistria was organized by the first President of Transnistria Igor Smirnov to vote for a possible reintegration into Moldova or independence and a future accession to the Russian Federation. The former proposal was rejected and the latter was approved, although the veracity of these results has been questioned. Still, posterior studies have proven the popularity of the idea on at least part of the population of Transnistria.

Due to all this, exactly on the same day that Russia annexed Crimea, the leader of the Transnistrian parliament Mikhail Burla sent a letter to Russia requesting the facilitation of a Russian annexation of Transnistria in the country's laws, which had a negative response from the international community. The topic was mentioned on numerous more occasions by different Transnistrian politicians such as the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Transnistria Nina Shtanski, the former Transnistrian president Yevgeny Shevchuk (who issued an unsuccessful decree in 2016 to eventually make Transnistria join Russia) and the current one, Vadim Krasnoselsky. Some figures from Russia such as Zakhar Prilepin, Vladimir Zhirinovsky and the For Truth party have responded positively to such a possibility.

Several analysts, however, believe that Russia will not try to annex Transnistria. Russia officially strives for the granting of a special status of Transnistria within Moldova, possibly to exert influence over the entire country. An annexation of Transnistria by Russia would be counterproductive to this goal, especially considering that it could accelerate an undesired unification between Moldova and Romania. Furthermore, Transnistria is far from Russia and landlocked, and creating a nationalist discourse among the Russian people to achieve annexation, as was done before with Crimea, could be more difficult.

Background

Ethnic map of Transnistria based on the 2004 Transnistrian census Transnistria-harta etnica 2004.jpg
Ethnic map of Transnistria based on the 2004 Transnistrian census

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (Moldavian SSR) declared independence and became modern Moldova. Fear arose in the easternmost region that Moldova would unite with Romania following this event, so independence from Moldova was declared. This led to the Transnistria War, [1] in which Transnistria received help from Russia, which sent its 14th Guards Army. As a consequence, [2] Transnistria stayed separate from Moldova, but continued to be recognized as Moldovan territory by the international community. [1]

Following the end of the war, there were attempts at resolving the Transnistria conflict, most notably the Kozak memorandum, but none were successful. [1] [2] On 17 September 2006, a referendum in Transnistria was held by the authorities of the state. It asked the population whether Transnistria should be reintegrated into Moldova or not and whether it should seek independence and a potential future integration into Russia or not. 96.61% rejected the first question and 98.07% approved the second one, with the voter turnout being of 78.55%. [3] However, the Moldovan branch of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights claimed to have detected irregularities and infringements in the referendum and suggested that the results could have been prepared beforehand. [4] The president at this time was Transnistria's first, Igor Smirnov. Smirnov suggested and referenced a possible Transnistrian accession to Russia a number of times during his 20-year long rule. [5]

According to the 2015 Transnistrian census, Transnistria is a Russian-plurality territory, with 34% of the population identifying as Russians, 33% Moldovans/Romanians and 26.7% Ukrainians. The rest of the population that declared its ethnicity, belong to smaller minorities. Bulgarians polled 2.8%, Gagauz people 1.2%, Belarusians 0.6%, Germans 0.3% and Poles 0.2%, among others. [6] There are however claims that Moldovans/Romanians represent in fact 40% of the population. [7] [8]

Proposals

History

Igor Smirnov.jpg
Evgenii Shevchuk.jpg
Vadim Krasnoselsky (2018-09-10).jpg
Igor Smirnov (top), Yevgeny Shevchuk (center) and Vadim Krasnoselsky (bottom), all the presidents Transnistria has had. All of them have attempted to formally integrate Transnistria into Russia at some point.
Transnistria's co-official flag, almost identical to the flag of Russia. It was officially adopted in 2017. Flag of Transnistria (Russian tricolour).svg
Transnistria's co-official flag, almost identical to the flag of Russia. It was officially adopted in 2017.

Following Russia's formal annexation of Crimea on 18 March 2014, [9] speculation arose regarding if Transnistria would also be next. [10] In fact, barely on the same day of the annexation of Crimea, Mikhail Burla, Speaker of the Supreme Council of Transnistria (that is, the chairperson of the Transnistrian parliament), sent a letter in the name of the Transnistrian Supreme Council to the then Chairman of the State Duma (one of the two houses of the Parliament of Russia) Sergey Naryshkin calling for changes in Russian laws to facilitate a future annexation of Transnistria by Russia. [11] [12] [13] Moreover, according to March 2014 reports from the freelancer journalist Mitra Nazar, people in Transnistria were then hoping to be annexed by Russia and were seeing the annexation of Crimea as a "sign of hope". A pensioner she interviewed said she hoped annexation by Russia would bring higher pensions and a better future for the younger generations. [14]

President of Moldova Nicolae Timofti replied to Burla's letter by warning Russia not to try to annex Transnistria, saying that it would be "a mistake" on Russia's part and that it would end up "further damaging its international status". [15] [16] Jean-Claude Juncker, former Prime Minister of Luxembourg and the then future President of the European Commission, prompted the European Union (EU) to take measures to avoid Moldova from being "the next victim of Russian aggression". [9] The President of Romania Traian Băsescu called for Moldova's accession process into the EU to be accelerated, with the country's security depending on this according to him. [17]

Days later, Nina Shtanski, then Minister of Foreign Affairs of Transnistria, approved the annexation of Crimea, declared that "we consider ourselves part of the Russian world" and that "we are no different from Russians and Russian civilization" and requested the President of Russia Vladimir Putin to annex Transnistria. [18] Posteriorly, in April 2014, Transnistrian parliamentaries called on Russia to recognize Transnistrian independence. [19]

On 7 September 2016, the then President of Transnistria Yevgeny Shevchuk issued the Decree No. 348 "On the implementation of the results of the republican referendum held on 17 September 2006" to bring the Transnistrian legal system closer to the Russian one and to get nearer to a future annexation of Transnistria by Russia. [20] [21] This was done to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the 2006 Transnistrian referendum. However, the decree has been deemed as invalid because the referendum was held ten years earlier and Shevchuk's actions have been criticized. [21] The Transnistrian authorities have also repeatedly expressed their intention to join Russian-sponsored international organizations such as the former Eurasian Economic Community, the latter's successor the Eurasian Economic Union or the Eurasian Customs Union. [22] On 12 April 2017, the Supreme Council of Transnistria adopted a new co-official flag for the republic based on the Russian tricolor flag to further strengthen Transnistrian independence as well as integration with Russia, as the Supreme Council itself explained on a note. [23]

Shevchuk's successor as the President of Transnistria, Vadim Krasnoselsky, expressed in 2018 his commitment to make Transnistria join Russia in the future. [24] He also said in 2019 that Russia "is our destiny" and that a possible new referendum on a possible unification with Russia could be held if needed, but on the condition that Russia would recognize the results. [25]

Analysis

Russian influence over Transnistria is big, with around 200,000 Transnistrians having a Russian passport as of 2014. [9] Transnistria is financed by Russia through the payment of pensions and natural gas debts, with some Russian politicians also investing in Transnistria's industry [26] and many Transnistrian firms being owned by Russian companies. Furthermore, Transnistrian schools use Russian textbooks teaching Russian history and many Transnistrian students go to Russian cities like Moscow or Saint Petersburg for studying. Since 2013, there have been efforts to link Russian laws with Transnistria's code of law, and Russian is the common (but not mother) language of more than 90% of Transnistrians, being used for business affairs and as the interethnic language of Transnistria. [9] In a study carried out between October 2018 and February 2019, when asked about what option would lead to a faster development of Transnistria, 37.1% of polled Transnistrians responded to become part of Russia. In contrast, 22.6% declared an independent and internationally recognized Transnistrian state would while only 5.2% did so with reintegration into Moldova, among other options. [27]

The proposal has received support in Russia. For example, the Russian politician Vladimir Zhirinovsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and former deputy chairman of the State Duma, stated that Russia should recognize and defend Transnistria. [28] He has also stated that Transnistria "is Russian territory". [29] The former Russian party For Truth also supported Russian recognition and annexation of Transnistria. [30] The Russian writer Zakhar Prilepin is another figure that has striven for the Russian annexation of Transnistria, as well as Abkhazia, the Republic of Artsakh, South Ossetia, Donetsk and Luhansk. [31]

However, some analysts and scholars have claimed that a Russian annexation of Transnistria is unlikely. Russia does not recognize Transnistria as an independent country unlike other breakaway states such as Abkhazia and South Ossetia, recognized by it in 2008, and has shown no interest in doing so. [9] [26] It is possible that if Russia did this, it would lose all its influence over Moldovan politics and make Moldova strongly pro-Western. [9] Instead, Russia has been said by some analysts to want Transnistria to have a "special status" within Moldova to keep influence over the whole of the latter. [26] The recognition of Transnistria by Russia could facilitate a unification of Romania and Moldova, to which Russia is opposed. [29] Additionally, Transnistria is considerably further from Russia than Crimea, and it is landlocked, so Russia could only be connected to the territory through states that would be hostile to a hypothetical annexation. [9] Creating a nationalist movement strong enough as to achieve the annexation of Transnistria in Russia could also be more difficult than with Crimea, which was presented as a "lost" and "stolen" land in the country. [26]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria</span> Unrecognised state in Eastern Europe

Transnistria or Pridnestrovie, officially known as the Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic (PMR), is an internationally unrecognized state, considered to be a part of Moldova. Transnistria controls most of the narrow strip of land between the Dniester river and the Moldova–Ukraine border, as well as some land on the other side of the river's bank. Its capital and largest city is Tiraspol. Transnistria is officially designated by the Republic of Moldova as the Administrative-Territorial Units of the Left Bank of the Dniester or as Stînga Nistrului. In March 2022, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution that defines the territory as under military occupation by Russia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Politics of Transnistria</span> Political system of Transnistria

The politics of Transnistria, a de facto independent state situated de jure within the Republic of Moldova in Eastern Europe, take place in a framework of a semi-presidential republic, whereby the President of Transnistria is head of state and the Prime Minister of Transnistria is head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Formally, Transnistria has a multi-party system and a unicameral parliament, called the Supreme Council. The president is elected by popular vote. The latest parliamentary elections were held in December 2010; however, they were not monitored by international organizations such as Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which has expressed doubts about the level of democracy in the region, and were not recognized by other countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria War</span> 1990–1992 conflict between Moldova and Russian-backed self-proclaimed Transnistria

The Transnistria War was an armed conflict that broke out on 2 November 1990 in Dubăsari between pro-Transnistria forces, including the Transnistrian Republican Guard, militia and neo-Cossack units, which were supported by elements of the Russian 14th Army, and pro-Moldovan forces, including Moldovan troops and police.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Supreme Council (Transnistria)</span> Parliament of Transnistria

The Supreme Council of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic is the parliament of Transnistria. The unicameral legislature consists of 33 seats, all of which are determined by single mandate constituencies. It is headed by a chairman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yevgeny Shevchuk</span> President of Transnistria from 2011 to 2016

Yevgeny Vasilyevich Shevchuk is a Transnistrian former politician who served as the 2nd President of the internationally unrecognized Pridnestrovian Moldovan Republic, better known as Transnistria, from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transnistria conflict</span> Conflict between Moldova and its breakaway region of Transnistria since 1990

The Transnistria conflict is an ongoing frozen conflict between Moldova and the unrecognized state of Transnistria. Its most active phase was the Transnistria War. There have been several attempts to resolve the conflict, although none have been successful. The conflict may be considered as having started on 2 September 1990, when Transnistria made a formal sovereignty declaration from Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikhail Burla</span>

Mikhail Porfirovich Burla is a Transnistrian politician and the chairman of the country's ruling political party, Obnovlenie, between 2012 and 2016.

The Liberal Democratic Party of Transnistria is a nationalist and right-wing populist political party in the breakaway state of Transnistria, recognized as part of Moldova. It was formed on 1 August 2006 by followers of Vladimir Zhirinovsky and is affiliated with the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia. The party leader is Transnistrian politician Valerly Kulakli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 Transnistrian independence referendum</span>

A double referendum was held in Transnistria on 17 September 2006. Voters were asked whether they approved of the possibility of renouncing independence and integration with Moldova, or alternatively independence and a possible future integration into the Russian Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public holidays in Transnistria</span>

Public holidays in Transnistria lists the official public holidays recognized by the breakaway Transnistrian government. On these days, government offices, offices of foreign missions and some shops, are closed. If the date of observance falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday will be a day off in lieu of the holiday.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of Transnistria</span>

The Transnistrian republic is recognized by three states with limited recognition, and is a member of one international organization, the Community for Democracy and Human Rights, that was established by these four states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International recognition of Transnistria</span> Geopolitical summary of contested region

International recognition of Transnistria – a disputed region in Eastern Europe located between Moldova and Ukraine – is controversial. Although Transnistria declared independence in 1990, no United Nations member recognises its sovereignty and the region is considered by the UN to be part of Moldova. Currently, only Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognise its independence, both states with limited recognition themselves. Despite not officially recognizing Transnistria's independence, Russia has close relations with Transnistria and even established a consulate in the territory. The Council of Europe considers the region a Russian-occupied territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nina Shtanski</span> Transnistrian politician

Nina Viktorovna Shtanski is a Transnistrian former state politician and public figure. She has been the Deputy Prime Minister for the International Cooperation of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Transnistrian Moldovan Republic from 24 January 2012 to 2 September 2015. Ph.D. (2012). She became an honoured foreign service officer Transnistrian Moldovan Republic in 2012. She held the rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Events in the year 2014 in Transnistria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian irredentism</span> Modern Russian claims to Imperial/Soviet-era territory

Russian irredentism, also expressed as Greater Russia, refers to territorial claims made by the Russian Federation to territories that were historically part of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union, which Russian nationalists refer to as the "Russian world". It seeks to politically incorporate ethnic Russians and Russian speakers living in neighbouring territories outside Russia's modern-day borders. This ideology has been significantly defined by the regime of Vladimir Putin, who has governed the country since 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moldova–Transnistria relations</span> Bilateral relations

Moldova–Transnistria relations are the political and economic relations between the Republic of Moldova and Transnistria, an unrecognized state between the Dniester River and Ukraine. During the dissolution of the Soviet Union, political tensions in the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic led to Transnistria declaring independence from Moldova, culminating in the Transnistrian War of 1992. As part of the ceasefire agreement ending the war, a Joint Control Commission composed of Moldovan, Transnistrian, and Russian forces was established to supervise the demilitarized zone which was located in the Transnistrian region. The Joint Control Commission still supervises the zone, and negotiations to resolve the dispute are ongoing. The negotiations are supported by the Russian Federation, Ukraine, the United States, the European Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tiraspol Airport</span> Airport in Tiraspol, Transnistria

Tiraspol Airport is an airport located in Tiraspol. It previously served as a military air base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian-occupied territories</span> Lands outside of Russia currently occupied by Russian military forces

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has been involved in territorial disputes with a number of other post-Soviet states. These disputes are primarily an aspect of the post-Soviet conflicts, and have led to some countries losing parts of their sovereign territory to what a large portion of the international community designates as a Russian military occupation. As such, these lands are commonly described as Russian-occupied territories, regardless of what their status is in Russian law. The term is applied to Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine, maintaining too a strong political influence over Gagauzia (Moldova).

Viktor Anatolievich Gushan is a Moldovan–Russian businessman and former KGB officer.

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Moldova accepted Ukrainian refugees, opened a bank account for donations, and unofficially imposed sanctions on Russia.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Cojocaru, Natalia (2006). "Nationalism and identity in Transnistria". Innovation: The European Journal of Social Science Research. 19 (3–4): 261–272. doi:10.1080/13511610601029813. S2CID   53474094. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  2. 1 2 Roper, Steven D. (2001). "Regionalism in Moldova: the case of Transnistria and Gagauzia". Regional & Federal Studies. 11 (3): 101–122. doi:10.1080/714004699. S2CID   154516934. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  3. Osipov, Alexander; Vasilevich, Hanna (2019). "Transnistrian nation-building: a case of effective diversity policies?". Nationalities Papers. 47 (6): 983–999. doi:10.1017/nps.2018.26. S2CID   201376934. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. "HCHRM claims a series of infringements at the referendum on independence in Transnistria". IPN. 18 September 2006. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  5. Kosienkowski, Marcin (2012). "Is internationally recognised independence the goal of quasi-states? The case of Transnistria". SSRN Electronic Journal : 55–65. doi:10.2139/ssrn.2132161. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  6. "Статистический ежегодник 2017" (in Russian). Ministry of Economic Development of Transnistria. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  7. Munteanu, Igor; Munteanu, Angela (2007). "Transnistria: a paradise for vested interests". SEER: Southeast Europe Review for Labour and Social Affairs. 10 (4): 51–66. doi: 10.5771/1435-2869-2007-4-51 . JSTOR   43293238. S2CID   146854881.
  8. Tabachnik, Maxim (2019). Citizenship, Territoriality, and Post-Soviet Nationhood: The Politics of Birthright Citizenship in Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Moldova. Palgrave Macmillan. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12882-1. ISBN   978-3-030-12882-1. S2CID   159082309. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Kolstø, Pål (11 June 2014). "Transnistria is a bridge too far for Russia". openDemocracy . Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  10. Gardner, Andrew (19 March 2014). "Russia to annex Transnistria?". Politico . Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  11. Bocharova, Svetlana; Biryukova, Liliya (18 March 2014). "Приднестровье как Крым". Vedomosti (in Russian). Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  12. "Moldova's Trans-Dniester region pleads to join Russia". BBC . 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  13. "Transnistria wants to merge with Russia". Vestnik Kavkaza. 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  14. Porzucki, Nina (24 March 2014). "Where's Transnistria? And why do people there hope Russia will annex them next?". Public Radio International . Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  15. "Președintele Nicolae Timofti avertizează Rusia să nu încerce să anexeze regiunea transnistreană". Radio Europa Liberă Moldova (in Romanian). 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  16. Călugăreanu, Vitalie (19 March 2014). "Chișinăul vrea să știe unde se va opri Rusia". Deutsche Welle (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  17. "Romania calls to "accelerate" Moldovan access to the EU while Transnistria turns again eyes to Moscow". Nationalia. 20 March 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  18. Marin, Viorica (24 March 2014). "Nina Ștanski, "ministrul de Externe" de la Tiraspol, îi cere lui Vladimir Putin să anexeze Transnistria". Adevărul (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  19. Matveyeva, Polina; Braterskiy, Alexander; Galimova, Natalia (17 April 2014). "Приднестровье хочет от Путина признания". Gazeta.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  20. "Президент Приднестровья издал указ о подготовке к присоединению к России". Russia-24 (in Russian). 9 September 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Может ли Приднестровье присоединиться к РФ?". Hromadske.TV (in Russian). 13 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  22. Baranova, Maria; Braterskiy, Alexander (9 September 2016). "Приднестровье хочет в Россию". Gazeta.Ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  23. "В ПМР российский флаг разрешили использовать наравне с государственным" (in Russian). RIA Novosti. 12 April 2017.
  24. "МИР Глава Приднестровья заявил о приверженности курсу на присоединение к России". Izvestia (in Russian). 2 September 2018. Archived from the original on 7 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  25. "Вадим Красносельский: "Россия — это наша судьба"". Federal News Agency (in Russian). 10 December 2019. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  26. 1 2 3 4 Rogstad, Adrian (2016). "The next Crimea? getting Russia's Transnistria policy right". Problems of Post-Communism . 46 (1): 49–64. doi:10.1080/10758216.2016.1237855. ISSN   1075-8216. S2CID   157525068. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  27. Cojocari, Tatiana; Cupcea, Radu; Dungaciu, Dan (2019). "Perceptions, attitudes and values of the population from the left bank of Dniester river. Part I." A Demystified Transnistria. Giving the Public Opinion a Voice. Black Sea University Foundation.
  28. Botnarenco, Iurii (18 November 2020). "Primele atacuri din Rusia după victoria Maiei Sandu. Jirinovski: Chișinăul va încerca să ocupe Transnistria pe cale militară. Trebuie să o apărăm". Adevărul (in Romanian).
  29. 1 2 Stroe, Daniel (24 March 2014). "Russian firebrand proposes Romania to take a portion of Ukraine". Independent Balkan News Agency. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  30. "В России призвали признать Приднестровье и провести референдум о включении в состав РФ". Novosti Pridnestrovya (in Russian). 7 July 2020. Archived from the original on 14 February 2022. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  31. "Прилепин призвал присоединить к России Донбасс, Приднестровье и Карабах". National News Service (in Russian). 4 February 2014. Archived from the original on 6 June 2021. Retrieved 6 June 2021.