Moscow expands attack
Russia will try to open a new front against Ukraine from Moldova as the war threatens to spill into more territory, Ukrainian military sources say.
A source outlining Moscow’s expected plan said a “number of indicators” pointed to an attack on Moldova in the near future. A takeover of the country, which has an army of only 3250 soldiers, would lead to Russian troops moving into Odessa, Ukraine’s Black Sea port, from the west, he said.
“We believe the Kremlin has already taken the decision to attack Moldova,” the insider
said. “The fate of Moldova is crucial. If the Russians start to take control, we will … be an easier target.”
Tensions are already rising in Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region, after a series of mysterious explosions blamed on terrorists. Transnistria, which borders southwest Ukraine, is under the control of pro-moscow officials. It was formed in 1990 after the Soviet Union broke up and Moldova took a pro-west stance.
Western officials believe Russia’s long-term objectives may be to create a land bridge from Russia, along the coast to Transnistria, cutting off Ukraine from the Black Sea.
The military source believes Russia will go further and try to exacerbate tensions in Moldova to take over the country entirely. The claims could not be independently verified. Other western officials believe the Kremlin has not yet given up its ambitions towards Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
Moldova, one of Europe’s poorest countries, is not a member of Nato but borders Romania, which is. It is grappling with an influx of refugees and the economic fallout of the war, which has stopped nearly 15 per cent of its exports.
The dispute comes as about 100 civilians were evacuated from a besieged steel plant in the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The UN said a “safe passage operation” was going on at the Azovstal plant, the last holdout in the port city that has endured a Russian blockade since the conflict began on February 24, while the International Committee of the Red Cross said it was “currently participating” in the operation.
Russia’s defence ministry gave a lower figure of 80 civilians, adding: “Those who wished to leave for areas controlled by the Kyiv regime were handed over to UN and ICRC (Red Cross) representatives.” Neither the UN nor the ICRC have said how many civilians they are transporting and it was not immediately clear why the sides had given different figures.
Thousands have been killed and millions displaced since Russia’s invasion, and stories of the harsh conditions in besieged Mariupol have horrified the world.
“Today we finally managed to start the evacuation of people from Azovstal,” Mr Zelensky said in a video address, adding that they were due to arrive in Ukraine-controlled Zaporizhzhia on Monday (local time).