How events in Moldova’s breakaway Transnistria region raised fears of Russian interference WSOC TV [Video]

Since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago, fears have risen in neighboring Moldova that it could also be in Moscow’s crosshairs.

Like Ukraine, Moldova is a former Soviet republic that has aligned itself with the West and aspires to join the European Union. And both countries hope to eventually reintegrate Russian-speaking breakaway territories that view Moscow as their protector.

After a short war in the early 1990s, Transnistria declared independence from Moldova, where today’s pro-Western government has firmly opposed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine.

Although Transnistria’s independence isn’t recognized by any U.N. member countries, including Russia, the Kremlin-friendly territory has become a source of tension during the war, especially since it is wedged between Moldova and Ukraine and is home to a military base with 1,500 Russian troops.

WHY HAS TRANSNISTRIA CAUSED ALARM?

A large majority of Transnistria’s 470,000 people speak Russian as a first language and some 200,000 are Russian citizens who …