Moldova

Moscow plans to seize Donbas and Ukraine's south to establish a land corridor to Crimea and gain access to Transnistria, a region of Moldova where Moscow ...

The region has close ties to Russia, is supported militarily by Moscow and hosts Russian troops and is effectively governed by a pro-Russian regime. Kyiv has warned Transnistria, which lies on Ukraine’s western border, could be the staging ground for a Russian attack. Russia’s previous statements have highlighted its goal to control the Donbas region but did not extend to southern Ukraine or as far west as Moldova. While Transnistria is recognized internationally as part of Moldova, it has been practically autonomous since the early 1990s.

The Russian defence ministry has published plans to take the Donbas region, create a land corridor to Crimea, and “take control of southern Ukraine” with an ...

Phase two is being conducted by a regrouped and rearmed Russian army in the east. The question is, could Moldova be next? Despite Russian claims the city has already fallen, this plant - one of the largest in Europe - is still stopping them taking complete control of the city - and being able to move their troops elsewhere. This is largely the push south towards the port of Mariupol and east to the Donbas region. Since Russia abandoned its efforts to capture Kyiv and left the north of the country, analysts and intelligence officials have been referring to the 'second phase' of the war in Ukraine. The Russian defence ministry has published plans to take the Donbas region, create a land corridor to Crimea, and “take control of southern Ukraine” with an “exit to Transnistria”.

"We are now at war with the whole world," said Russian Major General Rustam Minnekayev.

There have been concerns about the consequences that Russia's invasion of Ukraine might have for its neighbors. Before his invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of pursuing "genocide" of the Russian-speaking population in the eastern Donbas region. He said that the aim of the second phase of the invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation," was to establish "full control" over the Donbas and southern Ukraine.

The Russian military now says the official plan is to create a land corridor all the way along Ukraine's coast to Moldova, where another border is under ...

Among the atrocities are evidence of widespread rape and sexual mutilation. As Russian troops tighten their grip on the strategic port town of Mariupol, their strategy is finally becoming clear. Satellite imagery identified a growing number of graves outside the port city, where Ukrainian officials say up to 200 new graves have been dug since April 3.

Rustam Minnekayev, a Russian General announced plans to invade the Transnistria region of Moldova on Friday.

A leading Kremlin military figure claims Moscow wants to create a corridor to a disputed region of Moldova claimed by Russian separatists.

However, doubts remain over the effectiveness of Mr Putin’s forces, which would have to capture hundreds of miles of well defended Ukrainian territory between the Donbas and Odesa to create a link between Russia and Moldova. Mr Putin’s threat to expand his war in Ukraine comes a day after Moldovan President Maia Sandu signed a law banning the ribbon of St George, a black and orange military symbol of Russian patriotism which has come to symbolise aggression against Ukraine, as well as the signs Z and V used by Russian armed forces to mark their vehicles. The extraordinary detail released by Russia about its plans for the war in Ukraine will also raise fears that Mr Putin may invade other former Soviet states that are not members of Nato such as Georgia. If Mr Putin attempts to take the Nato-member Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania the West, including the US and UK, would be dragged into a war with Russia.

Major Gen. Rustam Minnekayev said Friday the Russian army has been tasked with establishing “full control over the Donbas and southern Ukraine,” adding that “ ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday Russia had started its new offensive in eastern Ukraine, which has included intense bombardment of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. The city has massive cultural significance for both Ukrainians and Russians, being founded by Russian Empress Catherine the Great in 1794. Odesa is the largest city in southern Ukraine, and the third-largest in the country overall.

Russia plans to take full control of Donbas and southern Ukraine during the second phase of what it calls its special military operation, ...

In the first days ... the tactics of Ukrainian units were designed to ensure that, having pulled ahead, individual groups of Russian troops fell into pre prepared ambushes and suffered losses," RIA cited him as saying. Mariupol sits between areas held by Russian separatists and Crimea. Its capture would allow Russia to link the two areas. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com The last Ukrainian fighters left in the port city of Mariupol in Donbas are holed up at a vast industrial facility which President Vladimir Putin has ordered to be blockaded rather than stormed. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

A Russian general announced plans to occupy the Transnistria region of Moldova on Friday. Speaking at a defense industry meeting, Brigadier General Rustam ...

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Russia has captured dozens of small towns in its initial drive to seize the Donbas region, but officials in Ukraine said its military could soon take them ...

He said in recent interviews that it would be too demoralizing for all opposition figures to leave the country, that he belonged inside Russia and that leaving would be exactly what the Kremlin hoped he would do. Moscow’s separatist proxies in Donbas, backed by Russian equipment and troops, have held part of the region since 2014, and Russia has said that it aims to expand its territory there. The Kremlin said the law was “proportionately harsh” given the “information war that has been unleashed against our country” by the West. We do not think they’re going to able to capture the entirety of the oblasts in the next three weeks.” António Guterres, the United Nations secretary general, will meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday in Ukraine, two days after meeting President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia in Moscow, to try to negotiate a peace deal. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine was intended only as a beginning, then they want to capture other countries.” He thanked Britain for deciding to reopen its embassy in Kyiv, saying that it was the 21st country to do so. The U.S. secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, called for the immediate release of a Russian pro-democracy activist, Vladimir Kara-Murza, who was arrested earlier this month, and then charged with “spreading false information” under a new law that effectively criminalizes any public opposition to or independent news reporting about the war against Ukraine. Kara-Muzra faces 10 years in prison. And he cannot ship his chardonnays to China, one of his new markets, because the port in Odesa, Ukraine, that he uses for exports shut down as soon as the first bombs fell in February. Since the war erupted, the Moldovan and Ukrainian militaries have faced the extra concern of whether the Transnistrians were going to jump into the battle and start attacking Ukraine from the west. The commander, Maj. Gen. Rustam Minnekayev, has an obscure role in the Russian military’s hierarchy, and some observers suggested that his comments could have been part of Russia’s efforts to distract or confuse Ukraine and its allies. Russia’s battle to take Mariupol, particularly the continuing blockade of a sprawling steel plant where Ukrainian defenders and civilians remain holed up, has been largely successful but has taken a heavy toll on its forces.

(Reuters) - The Moldovan foreign ministry said it had summoned Moscow's ambassador on Friday to express "deep concern" about comments by a top militar...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia's invasion of his country was just the beginning and that Moscow has designs on capturing other ...

Putin declared victory in the city after a nearly two-month siege. Moldova last month applied to join the European Union, charting a pro-Western course hastened by Russia’s invasion. “All the nations that, like us, believe in the victory of life over death must fight with us. They must help us, because we are the first in line. Volunteers in white hazmat suits and masks roved the ruins, collecting bodies from apartments and loading them on to a truck marked with the letter “Z”, symbol of Russia’s invasion. “We are likely to see a very significant increase in the intensity of Russian military attacks in the east (and on) the coast,” he told reporters.

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Moscow hopes to invade other countries after a Russian military leader hinted at expanding into Moldova.

"The Russian invasion of Ukraine is intended only as a beginning," Zelenskyy said in a video address on Friday night. "All the nations that, like us, believe in the victory of life over death must fight with us," he said. Transnistria is next to Ukraine's western border.

Russian commander Rustam Minnekaev referred to the breakaway Moldovan region of Transnistria, sparking a fierce debate.

His near total control of the media has effectively radicalized large segments of the Russian population. A land bridge that unites Russians across Ukraine and Moldova would provide Putin with the domestic cover he needs. The other issue of course is that the Russians need the military capabilities to achieve this. "The problem for NATO is that the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria allows Russia to rapidly use its military forces to defend its interests in Eastern Europe, and maintain its presence on behalf of Russian speakers and minorities." "In a way, Putin has become trapped by his own media messaging. For now, it does not seem they are making much progress, even in Donbas.

The military official said Russia seeks a land bridge to Transnistria, a breakaway region in Moldova.

- Russia's invasion of Ukraine has galvanized traditionally neutral countries, includingFinland and Sweden, into expressing interest in joining NATO or the EU or both. - Moldova, like Ukraine, is not a member of the European Union or the NATO. - Minnekayev also claimed that the Moldovan government was oppressing the Russian-speaking population in Transnistria, echoing a claim that the Kremlin has used in its attempt to justify its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.